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Light Pollution Authority Home Page - www.darksky.org Page 3 of3 disappeared.The problem is urban sky glow, due mostly to too much bad lighting. With good lighting, we all win. ... I~H07, The Return of the Night" by Harrell Guy Graham "Imagine a night sky where there are so many twinkling stars you can hardly begin to count them. Then imagine that same night sky lit. not by starlight, but by light pollution from thousands upon thousands of unshielded high intensity outdoor lights. VVhere there were once countless stars, you can now see an unnatural glow smearing the night sky with a haze of extraordinarily bright artificial light." ..,"Because of light pollution, no stars whatsoever are visible any where nth horizon in most American communities." . 15-111, Impressions of a Night Sky Unaffected by Light Pollution Words can scarcely describe what it is like to see a night sky that is unaffected by light pollution. For many, it is a spiritual experience. Many of us dream of walking out our back door and being engulfed by a night sky so beautiful, so splendid, so overwhelming, that a telescope is not even required to appreciate it. Our ancestors knew such a sky. Without our vigilance, our children and thejr children will noUt is up to our generation to bring back: the night.. It is good for all of us who are active in the fight against light pollution to occasionally experience a night sky unaffected by light pollution at least once each year to energize and inspire us to continue our diligent efforts to curtail light pollution. Here, now, are some general impressions of a night sky that is unaffected by light pollution. 1$-120, Light Pollution and Limiting Magnitude How faint a star can be seen with the unaided eye? This depends on the ability and experience of the observer, the state of dark adaptation of the observer, the sky brightness due to light pollution from electric lights and natural sources such as the Moon, and the clarity of the sky. ... There are about 14,000 stars brighter than magnitude +7.0, so under ideal conditions an observer could see somewhat under half ofthem{-7,000) due to only half the sky being visible and atmospheric extinction. A magnitude +6.0 sky is still a reasonably good sky, with -2,400 stars visible to the unaided eye. There is some light pollution, and it is usually enough to illuminate clouds so that they no longer appear utterly black against the sky as with a magnitude +7.0 sky. The brighter parts of the Milky Way are still readily seen. Less than 250 stars are visible in a magnitude +4.0 sky, and the milky Way is never visible. Ligl)t pollution is a serious problem. A magnitude +3.0 sky will show fewer than 50 stars, and light pollution is severe. This is the typical sky encountered inside a major city. 1$-1 ~1, New Jersey Light Pollution Study Commission Recommendations The New Jersey Light Pollution Study Commission, after meeting for almost ten months, has completed and submitted its report to the Governor and legislature. The commission has determined that "the causes of light pollution are many and the effect can be glare, energy waste,light trespass(nuisance light), and sky glow."Clearty, light pollution affects everyone. The twelve recommendations in the report are intended to reduce light pollution and its adverse effects. These recommendations will result in improved lighting conditions for safety and for reduced energy consumption, and will also serve as a means to help preserve the environment. . IS-131 , Light Pollution: Are You a Culprit? AbstractMany electrical engineers and contractors,architects, and lighting engineers cause light pollution simply because they do not think about it. This article examines the problem, possible future limitations, and some solutions. ... There has been increasing worldwide awareness of light pollution since the early 1980s. The Australians decided in 1981 to produce a National Standard to limit light pollution. 15,134, Light Pollution: The Problem, The Solutions Abstract The problem of light pollution exists most everywhere, and it is still growing rapidly. 15-139, Why Should a City Government Be Concerned About Light Pollution The public's loss of the stars from the nighttime sky is a real tragedy that every city government should be aware of and not allow.This loss is a testament to our myopia and to our growing insulation from the natural world. Like the canary in the mine shafts of old,astronomers are warning us of the unnecessary loss of a dark nighttime sky in almost every urban area. ... Light pollution represents a waste of a magnitude that almost no homeowner would allow inside their homes. Top of Page Join the campaign to stop Light Pollution Now! index.html www.darksky.org/index.html http://www .darksky .org/ 6/20/2005