What in THEE blue h**l is Light Pollution?

Question

i understand what it is but how does it work?

the sun makes allot of light for us doesnt that pollute allot?

street lights,stadium lights,solar lights.. do they all add to the pollution

how would you stop it?

Answer 1

Light pollution is a term usually used by astrologers or star gazers.  It means the lights around a big city, make conditions less than optimal for any astrological study.  That's it.

Answer 2

Okay, let me try to "clear" (no "pun" intended) it up for you!  It's not the type of "pollution" that can actually harm you.  It's not really an environmental hazard, unless you are one of those persons whom it could actually affect.  

It is the source of light that is produced artificially.  The "Sun" produces enough light for me, that's why I live in the rural south, where there's not an awful lot of light pollution.  "Light Pollution" is kind of like "Noise Pollution".  It shouldn't/wouldn't "bother" you unless you were directly affected.  

Unless you want to actually interfere with how a town operates, or how much technology is produced, etc., etc., then there is no stopping it---that is, unless you move out of town, to a very rural area.  Believe me there are still some rural areas, that do not have to deal with "light pollution" and other kinds of pollution either, for that matter.

Answer 3

Um, it's not 'pollution" in the environmental sense.

"Light pollution is a problem astronomers have to deal with when using very powerful telescopes.  Often a telescope will be be focused on a vry tiny area scientists want to study--like a single star thousands of light years away.

The amount of light they can gather from such a source is VERY small--and ANY light from outside sources can ruin the observation. Even a few photons from a distant city bouncing off thin clouds and back down to earth can ruin an observation.

That stray light is "light pollution." A ot of the technology that goes into advanced telescopes is to eliminate it as much as possible. Stopping it is done by a number of methods. You may know that most major telescopes are located away from populated areas--light pollution is why.  Its also one of the reasons why astronomers like to put telescopes on high mountains--less air to scatter light and introduce stray photons. Normally, they even turn the lights out in ann observatory when actually observing.

There's also a lot o technology involved. Among other things, scientists  today use computers to scan multiple images of a star (or whatever)  pixel by pixel and remove those that represent identifiable light pollution.

Hope that helps.

Answer 4

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Answer 5

it's a common term. it's the way artificial light at night lights up the sky and you can't see the stars.

Answer 6

It's not really actual 'pollution' (eg. an environmental hazard). The term "light pollution" means that the natural state of the night sky is altered due to all the human-made artificial lighting. So you can't see the stars, and the sky looks murky.  In a country area, in the middle of nowhere (with no "light polution" from a city), the night sky is clear and you can see all the stars.

Some people don't like to see all this artificial lighting messing up the clear night sky.

Answer 7

Light pollution is defined as excess or obtrusive light created by humans.  The sun is not created by humans, so sunlight is not considered light pollution.



Light pollution can disrupt ecosystems, cause adverse health effects, obscure the stars for city dwellers, and interfere with astronomical observatories.  Since the early 1980s, a global dark-sky movement has developed to work towards reducing the amount of light pollution.

Light pollution is a side effect of industrial civilization. It comes from:

- building exterior and interior lights

- advertising

- commercial properties

- offices and factories

- streetlights

- sporting venues

It is most severe in highly industrialized, densely populated areas of North America, Europe, and Japan and in major cities in the Middle East and North Africa like Cairo, but even relatively small amounts of light can be noticed and create problems.

The method for best reducing light pollution depends on the situation:

- using light sources of the minimum power necessary to accomplish the light's purpose

- turning lights off using a timer or occupancy sensor or manually when not needed

- improving lighting fixtures, so that they direct their light more accurately towards where it is needed, and with less side effects

- adjusting the type of lights used, so that the light waves emitted are those that are less likely to cause severe light pollution problems

- evaluating existing lighting plans, and re-designing some or all of the plans depending on whether existing light is actually needed

Answer 8

By light pollution, people mean too much light from the ground sources at night. It wouldn't be a problem if it wasn't for the atmosphere scattering that light and redirecting it into our eyes. You must have seen how a city makes the sky above it literally glow, as you approach the city from outside.

In countryside and unpopulated ares, nights can be pitch black because there are hardly and sources of light on the ground. It provides ideal opportunity for looking at the stars and planets. You can even see the Milky Way - something that most of the modern generation have never seen because of the light pollution!

One of my friends told me of the time he spent in the Ukraine, in a really remote place where there was no street lights. So when all the house lights went off at night, it was absolutely pitch black, and when you look up you see an amazingly large amount of starts and quite a few satellites moving across.

Answer 9

i think it refers to light at night- like street lights city lights - lights that interfere with our viewing of the cosmos- to stop it? i guess shut off all the lights within a certain mile radius...

Answer 10

No, its not that they give out pollution.... well, in a way the electricity that powers them do, but the lights themselves don't pollute the environment, they just pollute our view of the night sky. The light reflects off all the gasses in the air, which makes the glaring light that blocks out the light from fainter celestial bodies.

This is just what light pollution on the ground does, there is also another source of light pollution. The largest one is the sun! The sun's light reflects off the atmosphere. If the sun was gone, then we would be seeing the cosmos all the time. Granted the lack of light would present some problems, but at least we would get some good views 24/7!

The thing that we hate the most is the FREAKING MOON! Geez that thing gives off som much light pollution we can't see anything near it! Its bad enough when its in its phases, but when it is full, you might as well pack up your telescope and go home!

We can't stop it, but we can try to escape it. Either go to an abandoned area, or on a mountain to escape the "city glow". Ever wonder why you can never see the Milky Way? Light pollution my friend.

So its not any pollution that harms the environment, it just harms our view. And it SUCKS! And it is annoying.

Last night I had to drive out 50 miles to get to some abandoned road-side restaurant to escape the dang light pollution and even there, I was still getting some of the city glow, and ended up only seeing 10 total meteors.

Answer 11

It's city lights in the night which hinder our ability to see the stars and cosmos. It glows in the sky and atmosphere making the stars look less bright. The sun blocks out all view of the stars during the day.

Answer 12

Light pollution is unwanted light and the adverse effects thereof. Natural sunlight does not create pollution because this is the light that has always been present for as long as life-forms and eco systems that could be affected by it have existed and have thusly evolved to cope. The sun does not produce any light pollution. The term refers to artificial light interfering with human health, stellar observation and possible effects upon eco-systems not accustomed to 24 hour light. There is likely very little that can be done to stop it as it is the basis of our entire post industrial society and without it the high technology consumerist world in which we reside would not be able to function. There is however a movement to try to decrease light pollution formed by astronomers in the 1950's it is called the international dark-sky association and you could join it if yo wanted to try to take some active steps toward light pollution reduction.

Answer 13

Light pollution is why it doesn't ever get completely dark at night.

You would stop it by having no lighted signs or street lights there is really no way to stop it.

Answer 14

Light that is "polluting" the otherwise dark sky. The telescope shop by my house turns off ALL their lights every night. It's funny because they are surrounded by gas stations, Wal-Mart, etc that couldn't care less. Poor guys are trying to do their part. During the East Coast power outage 6-7 years ago you could see every star in the sky and the milky way from Detroit! It was awesome.....like being in New Mexico!

Hey! Who's the weenie giving everyone else a thumbs down? These are all good answers..