street lighting issue

[-Aldebaran-]

As you can see I have a street light just yards away from the front of my house where I do my observing, I have discovered a good dark site but it's more than 5 miles away, what could I do or use to help my viewing at home, I believe this street light to be quite detriment to viewing of DSO's.

[-Aldebaran-]

Sorry my picture didn't attach, I don't know how to do it after posting

[Moonshane]

please keep it legal guys.

I'd suggest a screen

http://stargazerslounge.com/topic/113007-observing-screen/

[Moonshane]

Sorry my picture didn't attach, I don't know how to do it after posting

just click 'more reply options'

[oldpink]

the best bet is to ask the council to put a shield on it, it has been known to work
apart from that its just something I have to live with as I have 1 @ 15ft from me due south and another 25ft and to the right of the other
than a load along the expressway at about 10 degree's above the horizon

some people use some sort of screen to negate as much as possible
also a good LP filter works wonders on the Sodium type lights (orange glow)

[-Aldebaran-]

Thanks, a screen may just be the answer.

Here is the pic I mentioned:-

[Jim Steele]

The council should fit a screen of its causing you a nusence - if that fails mabye grow some leylandii as a screen?

[acey]

A single streetlight (or any directly visible glare source) will affect your ability to dark-adapt. So you could try screening yourself from it. The question is how many other streetlights there are all around you, and how much they're lighting up the sky (i.e. creating skyglow by reflecting off atmospheric water vapour). If you were in a desert next to one streetlight you'd have a better view of the sky than if you were in a place surrounded by a thousand streetlights that you couldn't see directly. When you say the site 5 miles is away is good and dark, you really need to quantify that in relation to the view from your garden, i.e. when you screen yourself from the nuisance streetlight, do you see stars to the same magnitude at either site, or can you see fainter stars at the dark site? Maybe it only looks dark because you have no direct view of streetlights there - but the skyglow might be no better.

[oldpink]

mine is a bit worse

and as you can see right in the line of Mars and Saturn just now
best bet is to hassle the council to resolve the issue

[-Aldebaran-]

Apart from the street light I am about a mile 1/2 from the town, with neighbouring villages north and south of my own, the dark site I mentioned is more than 5miles away from any town with only a scattering of small villages nearby (within 5 mile radius)

[ronin]

First option is to request that they fit a shield, you will I suggest need grounds of it being a nusience and I doubt that the council will regards looking through a scope as suitable grounds, although there must be some in the council that appreciate it.

The other thing to ask is if the light can be switched off at midnight, a number of councils are doing this and it is an option possibly worth enquiring over.

Will say that 5 miles to a decent dark site is not that bad if the area is good. I use one about 15 miles away.