LED lighting - effect on imaging?

[Starwiz]

Have just had notification from the council that they're going to replace all the sodium street lights in our town with LED, which I think will mean my CLS filter will be redundant.

The good thing is that they say the new lights will direct the light downward and so produce less light pollution.

Has anyone here had experience of this happening and if so, what was the effect?

Thanks

John

[ronin]

Most install the bright White light lamps and this will as you say make the CLS filter somewhat redundant, just there are wavelengths that the filter will not block.  Cambridge seems to have opted in many areas for the lower intensity and not so white LED lamps. Much more pleasant and visibility is very good and comfortable.

Not sure about the "light pollution" aspect for the reason that LP is light going where it should not, usually up, however you are sat in it. LP to me means lees of a glow above a distant town, but as said you are in the town. So you could be in a brighter "layer" of light.

Could suggest you ask about a shield being fitted to any lamp near you, they seem to fit the lights on a taller pole half the time. However I guess the contractors will put in the pole and lamp then later go round fitting shields as and if requested.

[bottletopburly]

our town  changed to led you definetley dont see the glow that sodium caused ,though led has its problems too

[Pig]

For visual observing the difference the led has made is staggering.... the directional beam is fantastic. The icing on the cake would be to fit movement sensors to them.

[xtreemchaos]

ive the white low intensity ones installed in my street, thay made a big difference in the seeing streetside, gone is the horrid orange glow replace buy pure darkness just above the lamps, I live in a very dark site but the leds has made it darker + thay give off no heat so makes better clarity with less rising warm heat.  clear skys all. charl.

[Alien 13]

Led are not good for visual if you are in direct line of sight but great for imaging. The other plus is that the associated technology allows you to turn off, dim etc.

Alan

[DaveS]

The next door bourough has fitted well directed LED sreetlights. I've noticed the sky in that direction becoming noticably darker. The downside is the broadband emission isn't filterable. Think moonlight all the time. NB is your friend.

[Starwiz]

Thanks for all your replies.

It seems there are more positives than negatives, so something to look forward to perhaps.  There's a really annoying orange street light about 20 metres from where I image in my garden, so if this is changed to directional lighting it should really help.

John

[Pompey Monkey]

Get your request in to the council to block any direct illumination of your property before it happens - it is much easier (and cheaper) for them to include this kind of request at the planning stage. Use this leaflet as ammunition if necessary.  

[Stub Mandrel]

I've only had three or four imaging sessions since they tu8rned off our streetlights :-(

Good news is that the replacements (which have appeared on other thunk roads around this area) conbine great directionality with LP sodium!

You can see the lit up roads from a distance, but the lamps themselves are not-very-bright dots with minimum overspill. Hurrah!