Light Pollution. A Positive!

[Carbon Brush]

Sorting through some of my astronomy related photos I came by the attached pic from 2012.
I had completely forgotten about the circumstances.

The chimney is part of a victorian pumping staion, now a restaurant, about 2KM distant on my horizon.
The picture was taken from my garden. I can't remember now which scope was used. But it was an astro modded DSLR, hence the odd colouring.

The owners/operators took it upon themselves to install bright upward lighting. Presumably to make the food taste better?

The bright tabs near the top of the chimney are actually dark metal brackets supporting a platform. That tells you how bright the light was.

An email letter went to the council, with this photo, and darkness was resumed quite soon.
They had not sought planning approval so had to pull the plug quickly.
I was though ready with plan B. The lighting was on the appraoch to a local airfield and would probably affect wildlife in the adjacent woods.

It is nice to get a positive result once in a while.

[happy-kat]

Wow that was a result.

[Star101]

Glad you got that sorted so fast.

Well done ?

[sloz1664]

Great result. A photograph showing the issue can speak volumes.

Steve

[Carbon Brush]

2 hours ago, sloz1664 said:

Great result. A photograph showing the issue can speak volumes.

Steve

Thanks very much Steve.

Yes a photo can speak volumes. But sometimes you are up against idiots people who do not understand.

Being in Nottinghamshire (the land of ever increasing light pollution) you will understand how each year the skies are vanishing behind the glow.
That is why East Midlands Stargazers meet on a cricket field in Derbyshire. I did once go there and found a great bunch of people.
But at almost 70 miles round trip, it has to be for something special.

You may recall some years ago there was a plan to turn off many Nottinghamshire village street lights after midnight.
Things actually started. Even bigger places like Bingham joined in. A few parish councils were obviously composed of young children with a fear of the dark who stamped their feet and cried. But some lights did go off.
Then the colour of the front door at County Hall changed (it alternates red and blue for those not in the know) and the new regime threw out the dark sky plans.

One year I got clouded out for the Perseids. But had the camera ready and took a photo of the orange sky over Ollerton, a couple of miles away.
I sent the photo with a covering letter to some district councillors and a county councillor.
Pointing out this was our money lighting the sky, and contributing to nobody being able to view the biggest (reliable and safe) free fireworks show on earth.
No response at all.

We just have to keep chipping away.

David.

 

[DAVE AMENDALL]

Yes I must admit Nottinghamshire Councils must now be the biggest light polluters in the UK..............Dave