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I use to .. In chicago. We couldn't see nothing! There was a whole block of car dealerships by us . The light coming form them and downtown chicago made it impossible to see anything at night.
I think it's only going to get worse with the LED street lights, I just saw a report that people have trouble sleeping with them outside. Plus they don't have the yellow glow of old lights they are white/blue-white. Street lights shouldn't be so strong to make it seem like daylight at night. The good thing is there is a way for them to turn them down.
It has gotten worse with LED street lights. They are awful. I don't even bother taking a stroll around our block now after dinner since its like walking in spotlights.
We were way out in the desert in Utah a month ago. The night sky was absolutely stunning.
I live in the one little tiny bright blip in Southern Colorado just south of Denver. In July we were camping about 200 miles to the southwest at the Great Sand Dunes National Park & you can get literally dizzy with looking at the stars.
Heck if you just drive up highway 24 about 45 min from my house; same thing. I don't know why this happens but when I look up into all the stars I get woozy; it's weird.
We have a lot of light pollution here, but it's a good trade off on one of my late night bike rides. I wouldn't feel as safe on a really dark rural road even with the good lights on my bike.
We have a lot of light pollution here, but it's a good trade off on one of my late night bike rides. I wouldn't feel as safe on a really dark rural road even with the good lights on my bike.
I know what you mean. There's a stretch of road near me that doesn't have streetlights, and the lots are deep with houses behind trees. I'm in a city but that road is DARK. My headlights barely pierce it. I don't like driving on it at night because I worry about hitting an animal.
The beacon is on to help pilots find the airport when weather conditions are poor... i.e. below Visual Flight Rules of 3 miles visibility and 1000 foot ceilings. You aren't missing any great views of the milky way when the beacon is on... and I think pilots appreciate it.
Not to pick on you, but I think we're darn lucky to live in a time where we have light and heat and all the modern conveniences that these inventions provide, all the time, at the flick of a switch. And there are lots of wonderful natural places in the world that are dark, and we can visit them sometimes, and see ALL the stars.
It's a marvel, really! Talk about First World Problems!
I couldn't find the right answer on the poll.... The stars aren't gone, light is not pollution.
Light pollution is light where it's not desirable, e.g., causing sky-glow or glare. You can light streets and parking lots in ways that minimize light pollution. Flagstaff Arizona has done a great job with controlling light pollution while accommodating modern life. So, light can be pollution if it's in the wrong place.
My street doesn't have any lights, and the closest one on the adjoining street always seems to go out by 11 PM (which is weird). I can look up and see amazing stars from my back yard. Yes, we do have the flashing beacon from the airstrip at the Naval base, but that just shines in my windows - it doesn't affect the night sky at all.
I know what you mean. There's a stretch of road near me that doesn't have streetlights, and the lots are deep with houses behind trees. I'm in a city but that road is DARK. My headlights barely pierce it. I don't like driving on it at night because I worry about hitting an animal.
The key is to use fully shielded street lights with a color temperature below 3000K that provide enough light so that you can see, but that don't over illuminate the road or emit light more than 80 degrees from vertical. Full cut-off lights actually improve visibility because they produce less glare than regular streetlights.
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