LIGHT POLLUTION POLL

[EWHB]

Survey to determine how much of the world is polluted by light...

[UKJay1971]

I live in Wakefield which, according to Brian Cox on Stargazers Live, is the most light polluted area in the country

[Davesellars]

A tricky question to really answer accurately without more definition - It is a little vague.

As it depends what level of light pollution is acceptable or not?  What is your definition of not light polluted?  Bortle 1? ...  in which case pretty much everyone would have to answer 100%  If you're relaxing the definition to an acceptable level of LP say (bortle 5) then the answer is different.  I have assumed that you have meant just that as an acceptable level of LP so I answered 50% as the S to West and to the North has little local LP and is nicely dark  To the East and I am looking over the light dome of Oxford so any meaningful observation really has to be over 50 to 60 degrees altitude to clear that LP directly.

[SteveNickolls]

Here on the NE suburbs of Nottingham the visual magnitude of the night sky is around 4.3, Bortle scale 8. Least light pollution to the North. 

Good luck with the poll.

Cheers,

Steve

[DirkSteele]

Submitted.  It goes without saying that Chelsea in central London is 100%.

[DaveS]

100% LP out here in Ruislip. NELM 4.25 on a good night.

[jambouk]

I love surveys though find it hard to answer this one. All of the sky in my back garden is hindered by light pollution, but actually the sky quality meter gives ma a reading of 19 which isn't bad seeing as Nottingham City Centre is just 2km away.

I think for a survey like this to be meaningful it needs to have some quantitative data; eg what is the limiting magnitude from your back garden looking north, looking east, looking south, looking west, looking at the zenith... what is the SQM reading pointing at the zenith...

Good luck with the project.

James

[jambouk]

It looks like this map has been updated so is now much more user-friendly:

https://www.lightpollutionmap.info/#zoom=7&lat=6957215&lon=-65609&layers=0BTFFFFT

 

[RayD]

3 minutes ago, jambouk said:

It looks like this map has been updated so is now much more user-friendly:

https://www.lightpollutionmap.info/#zoom=7&lat=6957215&lon=-65609&layers=0BTFFFFT

 

That's good, it shows my house in Spain as having no light pollution at all, which is pretty much reflective of what I see when there.  Not so the case here unfortunately 

[JOC]

I think this is a question that is very subjective - in my case it depends on where I point the telescope.  It is perhaps better answered by photos of what we can see from the ground on a clear night?  I'll have to see if I can find out the sorts of settings that are needed to take a semi-decent picture of my night skies.

[RayD]

7 minutes ago, JOC said:

I think this is a question that is very subjective - in my case it depends on where I point the telescope.

I agree, that's why I put 25% as it's only to the West that I have really noticeable pollution, but in the other 3 directions it's still there but not too bad, so tolerable.  Arguably everybody (pretty much) would put 100% as it is there to some degree or another.

[Swoop1]

I put 25% as, from my garden I get reasonable skies in most directions but have pollution points in most. If I travel out however, the common I use has good skies in all directions apart from East (because of that London).

[Erla]

I live in the centre of Vilnius, so light polution is pretty bad, as in any capital, I suppose. But my grandparents live in a very rural area, with some of the darkest skies in the Europe. Andromeda can be seen with the naked eye there. I'm becoming very good grandson who visits often

[John]

Vilnius, Essex ?

[Erla]

2 minutes ago, John said:

Vilnius, Essex ?

LOL,

yeah, I moved to Vilnius from Purfleet, Essex, just several months ago. Should update my profile though.. 

Purfleet wasn't bad either- there was wetlands nature reserve for birds nearby, so if I wanted a bit less light pollution I would drive there, it was just 5 min drive from were I lived. 

[Fypunky]

I have said 75% as I live in Blackpool and for the most part West is generally not too bad viewing as there is not too many lights in the Irish Sea. However this will depend on seasons, come end of August - November and it will change to 100% due to some over paid celeb flicking a switch!

[Mr Spock]

Everywhere I go is 100% light polluted, but, not always to the same level. So, wrong question really. Perhaps it should have been 'how polluted is your sky?' and then with a faintest magnitude you can see range.

[John]

From my back yard I have approx 100% LP over 10% of the sky, 50% LP over 20% of the sky, 20% LP over 50% of the sky and around 10% LP over the remaining 30% of the sky which tends to be around the zenith.

 

[cotterless45]

It's a chronic shame that the burghers don't really care.

Seems to be accepted that all new housing and urban areas must have as much light as is possible , which ever direction they can get impact.

They're either afraid of the dark around here or the critters that move by night. It's a surreal experience hearing blackbirds sing at 1am. There's a lot of folk I know who have never seen the Milky Way,

Nick.

[wookie1965]

2 hours ago, cotterless45 said:

It's a chronic shame that the burghers don't really care.

Seems to be accepted that all new housing and urban areas must have as much light as is possible , which ever direction they can get impact.

They're either afraid of the dark around here or the critters that move by night. It's a surreal experience hearing blackbirds sing at 1am. There's a lot of folk I know who have never seen the Milky Way,

Nick.

I have never seen the milkyway been looking for 35 years.

[popeye85]

have voted 75% but like other people found it hard t judge!!

I know what you are trying to get at but I think it might be easier for people to answer if  it  was to vote based on the Bortle scale as it takes into account allot more variables

Based on Mr Bortle I live in a '8' but my local obs site is a magical 3!

 

 

[Alien 13]

The odd thing is that I live about a mile from a City center in a heavily populated area and have no problem seeing the Milky way on some nights.

Alan

[SilverAstro]

Bortle is no use whatsoever in a (UK) maritime climate. Atmospheric transparency (moisture content amongst other things) is all, quite apart from light pollution.

 

[Stub Mandrel]

I've interpreted this as how much of your sky is so light-polluted that it isn't any good for observing or AP.

 

9 hours ago, jambouk said:

I love surveys though find it hard to answer this one. All of the sky in my back garden is hindered by light pollution, but actually the sky quality meter gives ma a reading of 19 which isn't bad seeing as Nottingham City Centre is just 2km away.

I've noticed the surprisingly good skies in Nottingham suburbs.

[popeye85]

23 minutes ago, SilverAstro said:

Bortle is no use whatsoever in a (UK) maritime climate. Atmospheric transparency (moisture content amongst other things) is all, quite apart from light pollution.

 

Interesting point. Although the Bortle scale is based on what you can see-star magnitude, milk way etc. and not on the reasons  you can't see certain things. Surely causes come secondary to the outcome when you are judging you're sky on the b.s.

I suppose it depends on if the OP really is asking about L.P or they are trying to determine how dark peoples skies are-2 Very different questions!!

 

P.S I am quite chuffed to have a observing site with a level 3 so I will brag about it whenever I can!