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From: wapd@houxl.UUCP (Bill Dietrich)
Newsgroups: net.astro,net.astro.expert,net.flame
Subject: Light Pollution
Message-ID: <770@houxl.UUCP>
Date: Wed, 3-Jul-85 17:21:53 EDT
Article-I.D.: houxl.770
Posted: Wed Jul  3 17:21:53 1985
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       What follows is a copy of a letter sent to a local
       newspaper, the Asbury Park Press (Asbury Park,N.J.),by the
       S*T*A*R Astronomy Society.  The subject is light pollution
       and the letter refers to an article in the Asbury Park Press
       about decorative home lighting.  The editors of the
       newspaper did not publish the letter.

       To amateur and professional astronomers alike, light
       pollution, is an insidious problem and threatens this
       Winter's apparition of Halley's Comet.

       I want to ask you to eliminate unnecessary lighting around
       your home and workplace so that we may all see the greatest
       of natural wonders- the night sky.

                                               Michael L. Fuccio





                                                               26-July-84
       Dear Sir,

               I felt compelled to write after reading you recent
       article on outdoor lighting which reflected the general
       ignorance of the public on the phenomenon of light
       pollution- the pollution of the night sky with artificial
       illumination resulting from inefficient and or unnecessary
       outdoor lighting.

       While the protection of our environment and the control of
       pollution are major concerns of many citizens today, most of
       the public is totally unaware of the problem of light
       pollution, which is nevertheless serious from both
       environmental and economic standpoints.

       Outdoor lighting is proliferating today as never before, but
       not without ill effects.  Wasteful and unnecessary forms of
       lighting such as spotlighting "to make (a) house look
       nicer," along with the glaring stray light of business
       advertizements and inefficiently designed street lights,
       cast a bright luminous veil over all of our urban and
       suburban areas, and even creates an artificial, perpetual
       daylight in many places.  While no one knows for certain
       what the long term effect of this will be on nocturnal plant
       and animal life (and therefore on the whole biosphere which











                                  - 2 -



       supports us), it certainly deserves the same careful
       consideration given to other more familiar types of
       pollution.

       The most obvious effect of light pollution, the reduction in
       the visibility of celestial object due to the masking
       effects of the luminous veil, is hampering the research
       performed at almost all of our astronomical observatories-
       in many cases severely.  All but the brightest stars and
       planets are now invisible from most of our populated areas,
       and the growth of light pollution is such that it is not
       inconceivable that future generations may never see
       firsthand the stars which have become so ingrained in our
       literature, music, and culture in general.  Our own
       generation, in fact, may very possibly be the first in the
       history of mankind to miss the grand personal sight of
       Halley's Comet when it returns in 1985-86 due to the effects
       of light pollution.  This is such a concern that members of
       the Astronomical League have launched a campaign called DARK
       SKIES for COMET HALLEY (DSCH) with the goal of educating the
       public about the light pollution problem that exists and
       organizing the dimming or turning-off of nonessential
       outdoor lighting for a while in many locales on the best
       nights of Comet Halley's return.  If DSCH is unsuccessful,
       the bright light of this magnificent comet will be reduced
       to a feeble glow that many of us will not see at all.

       Another reason, however, that each of us should be concerned
       about light pollution is economic waste.  Ralph Nader has
       identified light pollution as one of the most serious forms
       of energy waste in the United States, and a study by Dr.
       Arthur Upgren of Wesleyan University reports that if the use
       of outdoor lighting continues to increase at the present
       rate it will account for over one half of all the electrical
       power usage in the country by the year 2000!  Additional new
       power plants will undoubtedly be required to supply this
       power, and their construction will be financed by all of us
       with only the power companies standing to gain.  Also,
       regarless of ones views on nuclear power, a fact stated by
       Dr. Upgren is that "if new nuclear power plants become
       necessary in the coming years, outdoor lighting will be the
       paramount reason for their existence."

       Of course a certain amount of outdoor lighting is both
       useful and necessary for purposes of safety, etc., but waste
       and inefficiency must be controlled.  Streetlights, for
       example, should be made with shades which direct light
       toward the ground where it is required.  A very large
       portion of the money now spent on "street" lighting actually
       ends up being thrown away illuminating the sky with unshaded
       lamps that radiate light in all directions.  Parking lot











                                  - 3 -



       lights which are presently kept on all night should be
       turned off at midnight, and outdoor advertizing and the
       illumination of buildings should be similarly restricted.
       Such is the case in Tucson, Arizona and the state of
       Minnesota where legislation to this effect was enacted in
       1972 and 1974 respectively.  Many other towns and cities
       have also recognized the importance and value of controlling
       light pollution, and have enacted legislation for that
       purpose.

       It should be remembered that lighting can, in fact, be a
       form of pollution.  A spotlit house as pictured in your
       article, for example, is not only totally unnecessary but is
       an invasion of the rights of nearby neighbors who might not
       wish to have their homes and yards engulfed in 24 hour
       daylight.  Lighting in this form is pollution no different
       than noise pollution, water pollution or air pollution.
       People should be made aware of the existence of light
       pollution and enlisted to work toward its control.  Who
       knows, we might even be able to tell our grandchildren that
       we saw Halley's Comet in 1986.

                                               Frank Loso, President
                                       S*T*A*R Astronomy Society, Inc.
                                                               Keyport, N.J.