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UK Light Pollution Falling?

laser_jock99

By laser_jock99
in The Astro Lounge

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RobertI

RobertI

Posted
Posted

A very interesting trend - I find it really hard to believe, but Hillarys appear have consulted all the right people according to the disclaimer at the bottom of their Skyglow website so I have to assume it is valid. Good news I guess.

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DaveS

DaveS

Posted
Posted

Well I dunno, but when I paused astronomy back in the late '80s on a good night I could see all the main stars of UMi and the milky way was faintly visible. This was from Acton, about half way out of London. Since then it's got a whole lot worse, can't remember the last time I saw all the stars of UMi, even from where I am now in Ruislip, and the milky way is a distant memory.

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gooseholla

gooseholla

Posted
Posted

The irony is, I know what this street looks like with no lights on in the night - I've seen it many times. If you were a burglar walking down this road you wouldn't know the road stretches a long way down and round the corner. Thanks to the security lights, you can now see lots of lovely big houses down... Also, what good is a light going to do when everyone is asleep anyway? Plus all the burglaries that happen here happen in broad daylight anyway!

John
 

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pipnina

pipnina

Posted
Posted

Here in plymouth a good portion of the old sodium street lamps are being replaced by LEDs. I can honestly say that I like that the council is doing this because just the other day there was a sodium lamp in the street below mine. It would glare up over our garden fence and actually glare in my eyes while I am observing. But just recently they replaced it with a flat LED lamp. Oh wow I can't even see the head any more! All I see is the light it's sending downwards.

But despite this rapid change from sodium to LEDs and the reduced light pollution they give off, the night sky seems to have just gone from orange to orangy-white :(

Mind, my house isn't innocent of light pollution, our kitchen doesn't have blinds (Depite me suggesting to my mother on occasion that she get them installed!).

But I kinda wish the streetlamps were a narrower range of colours, perhaps if they stay orange or yellow it would be better since it can be filtered out much more easily.

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DaveS

DaveS

Posted
Posted

What I'm finding slightly ironic is that I originally gave up astronomy because I was fed up with the orange skies and not being able to see DSOs. So now after coming back what do I find? The LP is worse if anything. Fortunately LP filters have come along together with NB CCD imaging to give me a fighting chance.

Still wish for darker skies though.

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wxsatuser

wxsatuser

Posted
Posted

The LP here has'nt really gone down but it's changed colour a bit.

Still fighting football floodlights, school floodlights and a security light that lights up the obsy.

There are more streetlights here, there must be at least a dozen within a hundred metre radius

but I have learned to live with them, they do go out around midnight, so not to bad.

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Tddun

Tddun

Posted
Posted

Well tonight it was announced streetlights are going to stay on till 1am now, because of some people about 25 miles away moaning! Joy...

John

Looked like at one stage they might be staying on all night again! More drama than watching Neighbours is this whole street lighting fiasco.

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pipnina

pipnina

Posted
Posted

I have thought more than once, what the skies were like for Galileo, with no light pollution, and no air pollution.

Must have been wonderful.

It's possible that In 15th-16th century they still had street lamps- maybe pole-mounted candles?

*shrugs shoulders* Well I ain't a historian.

But in the chance that he had dark skies. He'd have had REALLY dark skies, and no sky glow for, well, 24'000km? XD

It would have been amazing.

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DaveS

DaveS

Posted
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I am puzzled by the differences between 2012 and 2014. Surely the night sky quality can't have deteriorated in just two years? In fact, unpopulated areas of Mid Wales shows considerable light pollution. Strange.

That's one reason for my reservations, another is the very odd striped effect out in the ocean. Looking at Dorset (One of my targets for retirement) there looks to be an improvement between 2012 and 2014 which I don't believe.

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Paul M

Paul M

Posted
Posted

It just increases year on year round here.

Lots of brownfield sites being built on and the greenbelt is being eaten away at.

Many hundreds of new houses are being built or are about to be built within 5 minutes walk of our house.

When this local building boom was first debated publicly there were thousands homes planned. Only half way through it yet.

I wonder if low energy lighting is making people less inclined to think about what lighting they have on at night. You can have a full house lit up for what it used to cost to light one room. Low energy floodlights... :(

Had my scope out last night after a very clear day. Even under clear skies the LP is killing it for me at home.

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Matt Scunthorpe

Matt Scunthorpe

Posted
Posted

My local secondary school, and the school I went too infact, had a few football pitches put in, and of course, they now have 3 or 4 huge spotlights that are on all the time. Why? Ive no idea, I cant imagine there is a game every single night, there must be switch to turn them off and save the school money as well. But as said above, darkness = fear & light = safety.

Matt.

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ccfcbob

ccfcbob

Posted
Posted

I was out last night and it seems to be getting worse and worse around here. Bright Glow from Coventry to the south and Birmingham west.

There are also plans for 400 houses a stones throw from me. Must be a nightmare in large Cities.

Will it come to a point where Astronomy just isn't worth bothering with due to light pollution?

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DaveS

DaveS

Posted
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London's LP is why I've gone down the NB imaging route. It may be the only option, especially with these LED lamps that *could* reduce LP if only people actually used their grey matter.

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