Oh dear..is this the end of my astronomy? (PART 2 )

[emadmoussa]

Part 1 here  http://stargazerslounge.com/topic/213557-oh-dearis-this-the-end-of-my-astronomy/page-9?hl=%2Boh+%2Bdear#entry2308688

Unfortunately due to some irresponsible behaviours and continuous mentioning of different means to vandalize street lights the topic has been blocked.

Anyway, the topic was coming to an end and since I can't post in there any more I decided to post my final impressions and photos in this thread.

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Final thoughts based on my personal observations:

1. These LED lights are bright and  on many occasions - depending where they're positioned -  can make your night adaptation difficult to achieve.

2. They are way more controlled than the old orange sodium bulb. I dare to say 90% of their light emission is focused downwards.

3. I noticed improvement in the overall sky darkness.

4. While you won't probably be able to filter this type of light, it can to some extent be avoided by setting up a blackout screen to block the direct glare.

5. Most councils have off the shelf solution to shield these lights. These shields range from the lousy to the ''OK-ish''.. The shield they fitted for me personally was 50% effective, so I'm still thinking of means to eliminate the other 50% of nuisance. Balckout screen around my observing spot is a possible solution.

6. According to the lighting service, the new LEDs are set to sync for 3-6 months and then they'll be dimmed to 75%, and 50% after midnight - which is pretty good. Fingers crossed.

I took few photos to show what the shield has done. Also there are other photos showing the overall sky improvement (5-15 sec exposure - so expect the photo to be brighter than reality). The last photo in particular was my proof the sky got darker. Why? I took some photos last year from the same spot and they noticeably orange in colour. To my surprise the sky looks dark grey even with 20 sec exposure. And the tree is not orange anymore - just looks like a hazy dark shadow.

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And for God's sakes....no calls for vandalism.

[Spikey]

Please no more discussion on the street lights, every time this topic is opened it results in the usual suggestions of criminal damage or malicious intent, something we cannot be seen to condone.