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Street lighting annoyancies! What can i do


12inchDoB

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Hi peeps..

Around my garden, i have 4 close by street lights.

I didn't really notice before but after setting up over the last few nights im wondering whether it would affect my overall visibility.

The lights are all glowing Orange after 7pm..

I appreciate we need these for pathways etc but they seem to light up my garden more than the street itself, but does it affect our visibility? and more importantly, what can i do about it?:hello2:

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my 2p:

1. Have you contacted your local council? Maybe they can put a few covers on for you.

2. Here's the link for the campaign for dark sky's website - a lobby group set up by the British Astronomical Association, no less. Browse their website for the practical advice you need.

3. Paint the light covers like a lot of people seem to have to do

4. Plant some bushes/trees? I've just planted 6 Lleylandi. As long as you don't grow them over 2metres, it's classed as reasonable.

5. Light pollution filter such as sold by First Light Optics here

Cheers

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Does your scope need a Dew sheld ? I also keep a black out cloth so I can put it over my head and the eyepiece , that also stops light affecting my eyes

you could aways cover the light with a dark sack and after you have finish take it off and use :hello2: sun glasses:D

ggod luck

Doug

Essex

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lol Doug..

Thanks for the links, ill contact my local council office and ask them if they (or I) can paint the side section of the light casing as the light seems to shine straight into my bedroom window at night aswell...

Until then, ill stick a bag over my head and grow some sunflowers LMAO

Thanks

Stu

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buy a triangle tool like an electric box key screw fix sell them remove cover plate undo 2 screws remove fuse enjoy viewing then reverse process and hope no one notices

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I 'overheard' someone saying if you can see the the photocell (that triggers the lamp to energise) that's on the top of the lamp-post (if it's that sort of design) - you can zap it with a laser pen. Turms it off for an hour or so.

Never tried it myself mind...

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fired by a comment on another thread, I am going to make a 'portable observatory' from black material and 40mm black plastic waste pipe and fittings, 6 foot high and 10 x 12 foot wide and long. I'll be starting a thread when I start it but in theory it should allow me to remain dark adapted no matter what happens.

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Its so quiet around here, no one would notice if i ripper the whole thing out..

My next door neighbour hates it too,,

Off to market on Saturday where i know they sell them pens,,

collimate my lense then have a little snipe at the light :D

If not, ladder & pot of bitumen...

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Just had a look on line:

"Preferably what work's a treat with the majority of street lights is a "green laser pointer" (power around 50mW), red laser pointers tend to have a weak power with around 1mW to 5mW of power"

don't they actually burn holes? LOL

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Some of the luminaires have a recessed photocell - so this trick may be hard to achieve unless you can aim from above. Also some are wired together so you may have a hunt to find the active photocell. good luck!

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mmm not sure how a laser pen would turn it of for more time than it would take the cell to reset and belive the conditions were dark again and you would have to be a blumming good shot as the sensor is right at the top of the photo cell unit

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mmm not sure how a laser pen would turn it of for more time than it would take the cell to reset and belive the conditions were dark again and you would have to be a blumming good shot as the sensor is right at the top of the photo cell unit

Well 'spose there would be a timing delay circuit so the lamp doesn't go one and off due to clouds etc. Could be 15mins....could be an hour!

Guess you'd have to be elevated (ie upstairs bedroom) to get a good line, & mount the pen on a camera tripod. The plastic stray-light guide often surrounds the perimeter of the cell, but the top is uncovered.

Not that I'd know of course, just theoretical.

:D

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Well 'spose there would be a timing delay circuit so the lamp doesn't go one and off due to clouds etc. Could be 15mins....could be an hour!

Guess you'd have to be elevated (ie upstairs bedroom) to get a good line, & mount the pen on a camera tripod. The plastic stray-light guide often surrounds the perimeter of the cell, but the top is uncovered.

Not that I'd know of course, just theoretical.

:D

na no time delay but did think after you had switched the cell off it would take a while for the light to reignite as most street lamps are sons whic have to cool fully before they will light again

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lol i converted my green house for the same reason them street light a asked my local council if they could do amy thing they said they would look into it and never did nor would they sort me out with a lpf some one broke one of them that afects me and it took them 3 days to fix it..........

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  • 2 weeks later...

i have a street light right outside my front door all i do is get a pair of long nose pliers undo the cover near the bottom of said lamppost. then inside there is an on/off switch so workmen can turn of the light when working on it (all lampposts have one). so i turn it off then put it back on again when im finished.:)

but outside my house is not a walkway so i have no fear of someone tripping in the dark and trying to sue me.

apart from this complain that is shines through the kids (if you have any if not lie) window . as ive heard of them putting covers on them to shield windows from the light

star

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If you tell the council that they are causing 'light trespass' 'nuisance' and 'light pollution' they have to sit up and listen. Start with the lighting dept but copy to environmental health and your councillor. That way, if the lighting dept don't act, you have kept ohers in the loop. Environmental health are about 'environment' and 'health in all aspects. Not just checking water in swimming pools. You might end up setting one dept against another, as I have done in the past.

Take photos of the lighting in your garden & home to show to these people. Ask if they will pay for the supply & installation of blackout blinds to your home - your sleep is being disturbed. Point out that it is wasted money to illuminate in this way. Ask them about dimming schemes, late night turn off and shading.

Basically if you 'attack' from a range of fronts, they will know you are looking into this seriously and take notice.

Please keep us up to date as we all suffer these problems to a some extent and would like to hear about anything that shows results.

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fired by a comment on another thread, I am going to make a 'portable observatory' from black material and 40mm black plastic waste pipe and fittings, 6 foot high and 10 x 12 foot wide and long. I'll be starting a thread when I start it but in theory it should allow me to remain dark adapted no matter what happens.

Hi!

I have (had) a similar problem with a sodium street light on the far side of the road from my small south facing balcony - as well as a pair of bright decorative / security lights on a neighbour's house.

The balcony is bordered by a house wall on one corner (East side) and on the North side is a patio door leading to what used to be my home office (now the "observatory")

I have a pole mounted weather station on the SW corner so I reckoned that a 1 metre deep black canvas screen on the South and West sides of the balcony at the correct height would shut out the unwanted light pollution and give both privacy to myself and my neighbours.

A local company makes bags for caravan and garden furniture items and having just bought a canvas hitch cover from them I contacted them regarding the making of two canvas screens.

Eventually I had made two black canvas screens, nicely hemmed and with brass eyelets at each corner and 2 or 3 along the top and bottom lengths. (Sizes 3 x 1 metre and 2 x 1 metre)

Using a couple of sturdy cup hooks on the appropriate walls and a combination of tie tags and strong rubber caravan awning bands I can have a reasonably well darkened area for astronomy which can be put up in less than 5 minutes!!

The screens have significantly improved my enjoyment and help keep my eyes dark adapted!!

Also "Mrs Nibor" doesn't mind appearing on the balcony in her dessing gown when I find something interesting!!

The company I used is:-

Home

I found them very helpful and the total cost was around £55.

I hope you will find this info helpful and good luck with your screening!! I shall look forward to seeing how you get on!!

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