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Light Pollution
The Utah Section of The International Dark-Sky Association |
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Light Pollution is misused or misdirected light: |
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Light Pollution |
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Light Pollution can be prevented |
Checkout our Sky Friendly Outdoor Lighting Products Section – Attractive, energy efficient, sky friendly outdoor lighting for your home or business
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Visit our Light Pollution Media Center. Here you’ll find:
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Checkout our new Lighting Around the World Page. Here you’ll find:
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If we can all take just a few minutes each week, we can make our opinions be heard. |
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Night Sky Protection for Utah
Two views of M42 - The Orion Nebula
The image on the left was captured from a light polluted sky; the image on the right was captured from a relatively dark sky.
Utah Skies recently worked with Utah State Senator Ron Allen to introduce a Light Pollution Prevention Resolution.
While the bill was eventually defeated, it has definitely opened the door for future initiatives.
For more info, or to get involved contact Utah Skies.
Articles
POLC - Outdoor Lighting Fixtures - The Pennsylvania Outdoor Lighting Council weighs in on the proper selection of outdoor lighting fixtures.
Bright Lights, Big Cancer - Science News article discussing the growing link between night time illumination… and certain forms of cancer.
The Light-Cancer Connection - Simply put, light at night snuffs out one of the body’s most powerful anticancer crusaders, a hormone called melatonin.
Ecological Consequences of Artificial Night Lighting - A groundbreaking book on the ecological impact of artificial night lighting
Cherry Springs State Park - one of the best places on the eastern seaboard for stargazing and the science of astronomy
Sun Valley, Idaho Lighting Ordinance 
- One of the best night sky friendly lighting ordinances out there.
Sun Valley, Idaho Lighting Ordinance Brochure - A simple explanation of the Sun Valley lighting ordinance.
Light Pollution in The United States – An overview of the inadequacies of the Common Law, and State and Local Regulation ()
Northern Lights vs. Neighborhood Lights – Glare and sky glow from improper residential lights are threatening our ability to view one of nature’s most spectacular displays
What are they thinking? – Newark, NJ lights up the night sky
Yahoo! News – New studies are linking light at night and increased Childhood Leukemia
Medical Hypothesis – Lighting for Public Health. Light at Night linked to increases in several forms of cancer (PDF)
Denver Post – The University of Denver’s Meyer-Womble Observatory is struggling against the growing glare of Denver
Idaho Mountain Express – Sun Valley, Idaho becomes the latest resort community to enact a comprehensive light pollution control ordinance
Utah Skies/Boyer Company Reach Agreement – Utah Skies works with developer to reach a compromise deal to help preserve the dark skies over Summit County
Turtles lured to disco death in Greece – Disco lights are luring baby turtles to their deaths on the fringes of a Greek marine park in the Mediterranean Sea.
Heavens Above, Parking Lot Below – A New York Times Ob/Ed piece describes the problem of Light Pollution
Security Lighting and Its Impact on the Landscape – A Journal of Arboriculture article describing the negative impact of light at night on plants
Boyer Company: Redstone Project – The Boyer Company, famous for it’s overly bright lights… takes aim at Park City
Idaho Mountain Express – Hailey, Idaho gives back the night
Turn Down the Lights – A Discover Magazine article about the harmful affects of Light Pollution on Nature
City Lights Alter Rhythm of Life on Long Island Sound – an article in the New York Times (Requires Free Subscription)
Neighbors take dim view of ‘light pollution’ – an article in the Rocky Mountain News (Boulder)
Tooele County, Utah passes Dark Sky Friendly Lighting Ordinance – View the ordinance (Section 8.13) online
Mammoth Lakes, California passes Dark Sky Friendly Lighting Ordinance
Hailey, Idaho passes Dark Sky Law – View the ordinance online
The State of Arizona recently passed the Good Outdoor Lighting Law which further tightens it’s existing light pollution controls.
Shedding light on pollution: Illuminating the night might be a bad idea. An article in this Winona, MN paper explains why.
From 2500 Stars to only 15 – The continued use of more and brighter stars has reduced the number of stars visible in large cities do a dozen or two
Too much night light may be boosting cancer rates – Excessive exposure to artificial light at night may be raising the incidence of some cancers
Artificial light linked to breast cancer – Light at night may be a risk for breast cancer
Lights Pollution – A Salt Lake Tribune editorial by 8th graders at Hillside Middle School
Lights Cloud the Night Sky — Light pollution… and what one resort community did to combat it
Does Light Have a Dark Side? – Nighttime illumination might elevate cancer risk
Outdoor Lighting and Crime, Part 1: Little or No Benefit – This groundbreaking study finds more lighting does NOT make you safer
Fighters of light pollution hoping to see more stars – A Deseret News article on Light Pollution control efforts in Utah
Residential Lights - Out of Control? A Utah Skies editorial on the state of today’s residential lighting
Let there be light — In Moderation: A USA Today article on light pollution
California Academy of Sciences: Turn Off The Lights article on the fundamental disruptions to nocturnal animals caused by artificial night lighting
Park Record Focuses on Light Pollution: Park Record editor Nan Noaker focuses on the growing problem of light pollution in Summit County.
Putting a lid on light - A Christian Science Monitor article on the detrimental effects of Light Pollution.
Now CARG, Citizens Allied for Responsible Growth, backs IDA Utah! Check out how CARG can help…
Checkout our new section: The Good, The Bad and The Ugly - Here we examine the best… and worst examples of outdoor lighting.
Deprived of Darkness: The Unnatural Ecology of Artificial Light at Night – Another fine article on the adverse affects of Light Pollution (you’ll have to pay Science News to view…but it’s worth it)
CNN Pollution Survey – Take this interesting poll and see what the responding public consider the biggest pollution problem
Light Pollution and Public Health – the latest medical findings by leading researchers
Light Pollution: It’s not just an Astronomers Problem
The Darker Side of Light: An Audubon Magazine article on the problems associated with light pollution
Light From Above: A light pollution awareness community.
Fatal Light Awareness Program: Millions of birds die annually from collisions with lighted structures. FLAP works to preserve the lives of migratory birds in urban areas
Outdoor Lighting Design Criteria
- Comply with Applicable Codes/Outdoor Home Lighting Ordinance(s)
- Design in Accordance with IESNA (Illuminating Engineering Society of North America) Recommendations
- Follow IDA (International Dark-Sky Association) Information and Guidelines
- The general guideline for responsible outdoor lighting is:
“Determine if it is really necessary to illuminate.”If it is necessary, apply these four elementary concepts:
- shield it,
- point it down,
- don’t use more than you need,
- turn it off when you are done or if you’re not there.
This isn’t an emotional issue; it’s about facts.
While many think those that raise their voices in protest are fighting an emotional battle, the importance of eliminating light pollution is based on fact:
1. Inefficient outdoor lighting wastes money. Light that shines anywhere but where it’s needed is wasted.
2. Unshielded lights cause glare and glare is uncomfortable at best and possibly dangerous, blinding you when you need to see.
3. The bright flood or spot lights used for security can cast harsh shadows, providing cover for the criminals we seek to keep at bay.
“Oh, what a beautiful view of the earth…”
This is not beauty, it’s a travesty. Taken by a DMSP satellite, this composite image shows the extent of the light pollution issue — it’s global!!
Here is another representation of the effects — past, present, and future — of poor lighting applications in the United States.
A Light Pollution presentation
Take a few minutes and look at this IDA slide show; it is very informative….
Some examples of Light Pollution
What would normally appear as an innocuous neighborhood during the day exhibits a serious problem at night: The Outdoor Home Lighting used in these examples is wasteful, destroys our views of the heavens and intrudes on the property of others.
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| Take a look at the previous image. This is a perfect example of Light Trespass. Light Trespass is unwanted light shining onto a neighbors property or into their house. How would you like to be in this kind of a situation? Perhaps you are. What right does one person have to subject another to such excessive lighting? You can see how much light is flooding into the rounded window. It essentially lights the whole top floor. | The preceding image is caused by light shining in through the window. The light originated about 75 yards away from a neighbors unshielded exterior lighting fixtures… very similar to the ones installed on the house below. In some neighborhoods… like mine… many homes have light shining in virtually every open window. So, on a hot summer night, people get to choose between dark sleeping conditions or a cooling summer breeze. Improper lighting ensures that you can’t have both! |
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| These “globe” lights might look pretty during the day, but they are horribly wasteful in real nighttime use. Notice that this streetlight illuminates the chimney of the top of the building behind it! As you might imagine, this type of light is quite glaring — seriously REDUCING visibility and the aesthetics of the area. | If you think that’s bad, get a load of this house in the same neighborhood. If you go around the house, you’ll count no fewer than TEN 100 watt light bulbs… none of which are in fixtures that comply with county lighting codes. This home-owner even feels the need to light up their trees…year round! |
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| Take a look at this light. It, and many others just like it, were installed on a home right here in the Park City area. This light is one of the most offensive light pollution devices in the area. It’s glass top and glass sides provide no control for the light whatsoever. In other words, it allows light to shine in all directions. Up.. out.. and also down. Light fixtures like this waste roughly 75% of the energy they consume. Most of the light output from this fixture provides no value to its owner. That’s 75 cents on every dollar… Or, 3/4 of all coal burned to power it’s bulbs. 75% of all the emissions released into the atmosphere. All that waste… and no value to the happy homeowner. What in the world was the manufacturer thinking? What in the world was the builder thinking? What in the world were the county inspectors thinking? This light, which violates numerous aspects of the county lighting ordinance, received the approval of some county inspector. | Well.. look what happens when you actually turn on lights like this!!!Is this not a travesty? What is the point of all this light? Is there a surgery being performed in the yard in the middle of the night? Why would anybody need this much light in their yard??? Especially when nobody is outside? What is the point?
Now, look closer at the picture. Most of the light produced by these fixtures goes up and out. Only a small fraction is actually put on the ground. It’s actually dark under the fixtures! |
Providence, RI Government Makes Bad Lighting Policy. The above image is Providence, Rhode Island’s idea of beauty. Notice that the street is dark — barely visible — while the lights glare and the sky glows. Not a star is visible…one probably couldn’t see the Full Moon, either….This is a fine example of really, REALLY bad government! Please go to their website and let them know what you think and how you feel about their plan to “Illuminate Providence“.
Listen to a talk entitled “Appreciating the Night Sky” on the Great Lakes Radio Consortium
Checkout our new Sky Friendly Products Section – Attractive, energy efficient lighting solutions
The True Cost of Outdoor Lighting -- You’ll be surprised what it really costs to light the exterior of your home
Preventing Crime: What Works, What Doesn’t, What’s Promising – A Report To The United States Congress
Virginia Outdoor Lighting Taskforce – Promoting safe and efficient outdoor lighting
Fairfax County Environmental Quality Advisory Council 2001 Annual Report – Great work on Noise, Light Pollution, and Visual Pollution
A measurement
John E. Bortle has spent nearly 50 years observing the heavens, and his experience led him to create a 9-point scale rating the quality of the nighttime sky. His metric can better help you quantify the effects of light pollution on your neighborhood.
You can help!
Simply turn off exterior lights when they’re not needed. Or better yet, use motion detectors so your lights are only on when they’re needed. This can also enhance home security while saving money. Here are the basics of good lighting; consider these points when you light, and you’ll be sure to have a responsible lighting solution.
Here is a lighting fixture comparison the will help you find the best solution to your, OUR, lighting problems! As if this weren’t enough, here is an example of just how simple a light shield can be….it gives a new meaning to the term “light bucket”.
Where can I get more info?
The International Dark-Sky Association (IDA) is a great place to get information on the effects of lighting on our night skies and ways to protect them.
International Dark-Sky Association
3225 N. First Ave., Tucson AZ 85719
(520) 293-3198 (voice)
(520) 293-3192 (fax)
ida@darksky.org
http://www.darksky.org
Light Pollution Awareness Website – Cliff Haas has done an incredible job educating the public about Light Pollution. His efforts have led to Connecticut State Legislation (HB-5449) creating controls for Light Pollution reform - it passed unanimously in both the House and Senate!
SELENE - Sensible Efficient Lighting to Enhance the Nighttime Environment – lighting at night is a necessity, but it must be done in a wise manner: light only when necessary; use motion-sensors when possible; use full-cutoff designs to minimize glare, uplighting and trespass; and use appropriately-bright and energy-wise lamps in all cases.
Lighting Glare – Here you’ll find good information on lighting glare, it’s causes, and ways to prevent it.
Our Lost Heritage – Check-out Joe Bauman’s article on Light Pollution in the Deseret News!
Summit County - Snyderville Basin Development Code – This governmental work can definitely be interpreted as pro-Dark Sky; all that’s needed now is adequate enforcement. Chapter 4.22 details the Lighting Regulations. Here’s a quote from the introduction:
“The purpose of this Section is to regulate the use of outdoor artificial illuminating devices emitting undesirable light rays into the night sky, or onto private properties which have a detrimental effect on the rural mountain environment.”
Pennsylvania Outdoor Lighting Council – The goal of the POLC is to improve outdoor lighting practices in Pennsylvania by educating municipal officials and the public about good outdoor lighting.
Fraser Valley Astronomers Society – This organization has been successful in lobbying for the establishment of a Dark Sky Park.
Grand County Citizens for Quality Lighting – A southern Utah resource for information on lighting initiatives.
NASA Speaks Up Against Light Pollution – Dr. Tony Phillips and Doug Hullander address the global issue of Light Pollution
Indiana Council on Outdoor Lighting Education (ICOLE) – Promoting improved outdoor lighting and reduction of light pollution
Another Outdoor Lighting Blog - Focusing on night sky friendly outdoor lights and practices
Night Sky Friendly Outdoor Lighting Retailer - www.StarryNightLights.com – Also a good source for Light Pollution Information too.
The Night - A blog devoted to the diverse nature of… the night. Outdoor lighting, light pollution and the ecology of the night.
Natural Lightscapes - The NPS Night Sky Team’s website. “Starry night skies and natural darkness are part of the special places we protect. National Parks hold some of the last remaining harbors of darkness and provide an excellent opportunity for the public to experience this disappearing resource.”
The Lighting Police - An organization dedicated to fighting light pollution wherever it rears its ugly head
