1. Light Pollution: A Primer Dan Caton, Professor and Observatory Director NCAM 10/4/2014

2. Warning! I will ruin the nightscape for some of you!

3. Don’t mean to offend… Most lighting is not designed.

4. The basic problem: Sky Glow Light from fixtures reflects off particles in the sky— ”Sky Glow.” Large cities visible from tens of miles. The stars are not brighter here in the country …

5. …The sky is darker! When it is dark enough, you can see the stars. −Persian proverb. Three Cups of Tea, p. 7

6. My first concern: our Dark Sky Observatory Off the Parkway, about 20 miles from Boone.

7. More than astronomers-- 100,000 hobbyists

8. Just as important

9. The Global Problem

10. Light “Made in the USA”

11. What’s Wrong With this Picture?

12. Closer to home You are here!

13. Boone, ~50 years ago…

14. … more recently

15. Where does the sky glow come from ? Poor fixture design Lack of shielding Over-lighting Poor installation Market pressure

16. One of the worst fixtures: Floodlights Almost horizontal No shielding At night …

17. Boone McDonalds

18. Better: Full Cut Off (FCO) “Shoebox” design Why do you think they are chosen? … Appearance in the daytime! At night …

19. Boone McDonalds after recent renovation

20. Sidewalk + street Lighting

21. Acorns/globes More light up than down

22. Residential Post Mounts Not many FCO fixtures available This unit by Minka

23. Residential Entry Ditto: not many FCO fixtures available This unit also by Minka Soffit lights better— also do not draw bugs

24. Billboards: the Bad Way Uplighted Most light reflected into the sky Often on all night

25. Roadway lighting: Glare from cobra heads Filament below reflector Glaring to driver Light polluting

26. Better, Full Cut Off Fixtures

27. “Security” Lighting “Dusk-to-dawn” Security or lighthouse? Refractor very glaring and light polluting Frequent light trespass and neighbor problem Installed by amateurs and utilities

28. Private Security Lights

29. The Glare at Night (From high up, too!)

30. Solution: Sky Cap GE SkyGard shown Hubbell available Total FCO See results …

31. The Capped Light at Night

32. The Data

33. Health concerns Baby sea turtles attracted to street light Few years ago: 60 died due to Hilton Head Proposal Cancer and melatonin production in people

34. So, this is more than just annoying at hotels

35. Car Sales Lots Often grossly overlit This one at ~35 fc (?) but very glaring (this in Lenoir) Use astronomically unfriendly metal halides Can use sodium with 10% white to get color rendition

36. …This in Tampa like this (Tampa)

37. Wall Packs One of the worst fixtures for pollution as well as glare (this in Lenoir at charity organization?) Are available in FCO. (See in a moment)

38. Wall Packs (or floods) also used in ATMs Glare! Could you see a criminal? … He can see you! This at the otherwise good…

39. …Lenoir Bank of Granite: FCO wall packs

40. Sports Lighting Usually done poorly with lots of light pollution and light trespass. Can be done well as shown here, using fixtures like ….

41. Fixtures with light control

42. New Watauga High Stadium

43. Gas Station Canopies

44. Compare to this (Boone)—6 fc! (used to be 60)

45. How You Can Help Look at your own lights–are they needed? Could you have it capped? Put it on a switch, timer or a motion sensor. Put in a lower wattage bulb. Where do you eat out? Do the restaurants have glaring lights? If so, complain! … Are there some roadside lights that bother you as you try to drive? Complain!

46. Is there a street light that shines into your window at night? Call up the utility and ask for them to put a sky cap on it. Don’t settle for simple spray painting of the fixture’s lens! Write letters to your newspaper…. Teach your friends about good and bad lighting–point it out when you are out with them at night. (Spoil their view…)

47. Spend some time at www.darksky.org and become (more of) an expert! Join the IDA.www.darksky.org Develop a local ordinance.

48. Concluding… Like the background on this presentation, let’s make the orange glow of sodium vapor go away. Thank you for your time and attention.