The Mountain. Dir. Tsophotography. Youtube, 2011. Online Video.
Incredible,
isn’t it? Unfortunately that is now one of the only places on earth where we
can see the stars in such clarity.
Light pollution began with the invention
of the incandescent filament lamp (Petersen). This unnatural glow of light has created a
glow about that hurts our view of the night sky. Not only does it do that, but
it is also dangerous for many animals.
For example, turtles in Florida. New baby
hatchlings instinctively move towards the brightest spot in the horizon, and
have been found to get hit or lost and die (Petersen).
Scientists
have only just begun their study of light pollution and its effects. They have
found that light pollution is mainly a result of bad lighting design because it
allows artificial light to shine “outward and upward into the sky,” instead of
downward where it would do much less damage (Kilnkenborg). This has
hidden our view of most of the night skies and beautiful stars.
 |
Light Pollution It's Not Pretty. N.d. Photograph. Flickr, Orem, UT. Wikipedia. By Jeremy Stanley. 10 Jan. 2009. Web. 30 Oct. 2012.
|
It has also produced orange hazes that
surround our cities. The National Geographic calls light pollution a “magnet”
that can literally trap migrating birds and insects and other nocturnal mammals
(Kilkenborg).
There are many different types of light
pollutions that harm us and the environment, such as:
·
light
trespass
·
light
glare
·
skyglow
·
light
clutter (Turning Night into Day).
The optimistic aspect of this topic is
that there are solutions to this problem. Most of Europe has already begun
their quest to decrease their light pollution (Turning Night into Day).
So what can we do to follow in their
footsteps? I am not asking for the world to live in darkness, I am however requesting
some cooperation from everyone. Little by little if each city makes a change,
light pollution will decrease.
SOLUTION: To decrease light pollution,
each nation must agree to do its part. This agreement could bring the world
together on an issue bigger than politics and differences. The sky is part of our world,
the one thing we share with everyone else who lives in it. We should contribute
to what Johannes Andersen suggests: “to bring this
message to all nations, a special environmental symposium, Preserving the
Astronomical Sky”(Andersen). Spreading the word
of the dangers of light pollution can make a huge difference in getting
anything to happen.
 |
N.d. Photograph. Gristlist. Comp. Jess Zimmerman. Grist Magazine, 7 Sept. 2011. Web. 30 Oct. 2012.
|
For those in small towns,
begin in your own home. Don’t leave your Christmas lights on all night. If you
have a lamp post outside of your house, make sure the light does not glow up
toward the sky, but points downward to the ground only. Request that your town
makes the same change to all lamp posts. There is much to be done for this
problem to be solved but it is feasible and it is important. Let’s make sure we
can see the stars go on forever and ever.
 |
Sorgjerd, Terje. Gorgeous Night Sky Timelapse. N.d. Photograph. Spain. The Hairpin. 18 Apr. 2011. Web. 30 Oct. 2012.
|
Works Cited
Andersen, Johannes. "Astronomy and the Degrading
Environment." Science 288.5465 (2000): 443. Gale
Opposing Viewpoints In Context. Web. 28 Oct. 2012
Kilnkenborg, Verlyn. “Light Pollution: Our Vanishing
Night”. National Geographic. Nov. 2008.
Light Pollution It's Not Pretty. N.d. Photograph. Flickr, Orem, UT. Wikipedia.
By Jeremy Stanley. 10 Jan. 2009. Web. 30 Oct. 2012.
N.d. Photograph. Gristlist.
Comp. Jess Zimmerman. Grist Magazine, 7 Sept. 2011. Web. 30 Oct. 2012.
No Author. “Turning Night into Day: The Facts about Light
Pollution”. Online Star Register.
Petersen,
Aili. "NIGHT LIGHTS." American Scientist 89.1
(2001): 24. Gale Opposing Viewpoints In Context. Web. 28 Oct. 2012.
Sorgjerd, Terje. Gorgeous Night Sky Timelapse.
N.d. Photograph. Spain. The Hairpin. 18 Apr. 2011. Web. 30 Oct.
2012.
The Mountain.
Dir. Tsophotography. Youtube, 2011. Online Video.
How does incandescent filament lamp hurt “our view of the night sky?” It’d be great if you developed on some of the terms you mention, like light trespass and light clutter. How has Europe decreased light pollution? Have other nations made efforts to address this problem?
ReplyDeleteThe incandescent filament lamp produces a glow and a glare that distracts us from the light of the stars. I will have to research the more technical aspect of that for my final paper. That is a really good point about the terms, thanks for letting me know! I don't know many specifics on Europe, I will look that up. All I know right now is that many nations in Europe have committed to reduce unwanted glare. Thank you so much for your input!
DeleteThis is very interesting, and I understand why it is such a problem. However, how do you propose we convince other nations to make adjustments to their lights? Is decreasing light pollution worth the economic repercussions of modifying lights?
ReplyDeleteI am working on an official proposal, but some ideas include spreading the word on the internet. If it starts becoming a big thing on the internet, it will spread quickly all over the world. I believe decreasing light pollution is worth the economic repercussions of modifying lights, but I think that is something I will have to argue in my paper. Thanks for the great counterargument. Thank you so much for your input, it is very helpful!
DeleteAbby
This is super interesting! I've never heard of light pollution before! As a reader I have a lot of questions still about it like if all the lights turn of would the pollution go away or it a permanent type of thing? Also how would the government addressing this problem not infringe of people's rights? Also, I've said this in previous comments, Its not good to break-up text, instead have pictures off to the side and have text going around it (rule of thirds). Overall nice job and super interesting topic!
ReplyDeleteThanks! I am not exactly sure about if it would be a permanent thing or not. I am pretty sure if we decrease our light emittance, it can decrease the light pollution somewhat. I will definitely do more research on that! I don't think this is necessarily a government-run solution. I am not sure my solution the government getting involved in that way. I mentioned towns could enforce some regulations for lamp posts which may or may not be a good solution. I will be doing more research and forming better solutions! Thank you so much for your input!
DeleteI really like your topic choice; it's something I have never thought about before! I'm not sure what the difference is between each type of light pollution you listed, though. And you mentioned some solutions, but how economical is it to install new lights that point downwards? For people who don't live in the cities, is it still as important if there aren't as many lights?
ReplyDeleteThank you so much! I really like my topic too, I feel really strongly about it! I will be going into further detail for my final research paper. I do not know all of the economical benefits or costs to install new lights. I will research it further! I think the main areas that need the most attention are cities, but it everyone does a little part, anything can help! Thank you for your input! I really appreciate it!
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