Tag Archives: light pollution

The Dark Side of Light

Posted on by May 16, 2015
May 2015

I was born in a small town. Visits to Cape Town were big events. I remember the beautiful beaches, the cable car, the steepness of Kloofnek Road, my grandmother’s balcony and the fascinating lights at night. White, red, blue, yellow, and orange – shining, pulsating and blinking put on a spectacular show. Nights in our little town were quiet and lit up by the Moon and thousands of twinkling stars. If one stood really still, you could hear the high pitched buzzing sounds of insects and soft shuffling of nocturnal animals. Fireflies were abundant. If you lay on your back long enough, just looking at the stars, you were bound to see a few meteors streak across the sky.
I live in a city now. Visits to small towns are big events now. My body needs to escape from the extended run of the greatest show on Earth: The incandescent, compact fluorescent, mercury vapour, metal halide, halogen, low pressure/high pressure sodium vapour and LED spectacle.
Staging this ongoing show of lights, comes at a major cost – financially, environmentally and medically. One of the biggest disappointments: we were made to believe that excessive lighting would halt criminal activity.
As major infrastructure starts to crumble under the heavy burden of trying to keep this artificial show on the road, small towns need to start leading by example.
Does the community of Betty’s Bay feel deprived because they do not have the orange glow of high pressure sodium vapour lamps flooding the fynbos and into their bedrooms at night? It is a question of one or the other. We can “threaten wildlife, ruin habitats, foul the air, squanders resources, and blocks our view of the heavens” or have a kaleidoscope of lights switched on constantly. Even if we don’t care so much for the environment we can suppress the production of Melatonin in our own bodies and give rise to the disruption of our circadian rhythms (believe me we should not be messing with those) or we can prove that living without excessive illumination is the most natural thing in the world.

This is not only my take but research has shown “that blue light-emitting diodes (LED) pose a more serious threat. Blue light is dispersed through the atmosphere more easily than red (the reason why the sky is blue). To change from red/orange to blue-white blue lights means an increase in light pollution and a waste of energy. Thus, the use of the blue-biased LED is discouraged. (Example: This effect is particularly noticeable when meeting vehicles equipped with high intensity blue-white LED headlights)”
I would advocate that all external alarm lights be orange/red rather than blue. I have a neighbour who has a flashing blue LED to ward off criminals? These I feel should not be allowed at all. For me one of the most precious things about Betty’s Bay is its night sky and I spend a lot of time looking at the stars. Unfortunately the quality of Betty’s Bay’s night sky has diminished, especially in the last decade. Having a flashing blue LED disturb the serenity and beauty of the night is a worrying factor. If I feel so disturbed by this, how more so for all the nocturnal creatures?

(The quotes I’ve used come from various internet sites which deal with light pollution around the globe.)
One site worth visiting is The international Dark Sky Association www.darksky.org)

One small step against light pollution

Posted on by January 15, 2020
July 2014

For a considerable time I have been noticing a white glow in the Betty’s Bay night sky. At first I thought that someone had installed an unshielded outside light while on holiday, then went back home and left it on to shine forever.

Heading back to the city one early morning after a night of stargazing, the bright illumination of the Caltex garage and specifically the Caltex sign stood in stark contrast to the rest of Betty’s Bay, which still lay blanketed in natural darkness. All I could think about for a day or two was the fuel station, which at night seemed so alien. One Caltex sign would not be able to obliterate the whole Milky Way but a few more highly illuminated hotspots could do severe damage to our natural night sky. Even though the chances of getting a response from such a giant company were most probably nil, I wrote an email.

You can imagine my surprise when I opened my inbox a few weeks later.

“Thank you for your email. Please accept our apologies for attending to your query at this late stage.We are currently working our way through a backlog as we have been inundated with queries over the last few weeks.Could you kindly provide your contact number so that we may contact you?”

Thus started my communication with the Customer Service Centre Chevron South Africa (PTY) LTD. My query was forwarded to the relevant department. I was updated regularly on the progress of the matter. “Please be advised we are still in the process of investigating and finalizing your query”

On 2 July 2014 I recieved a call and was put through to a manager, in charge of a certain cluster of service stations, who had this to say:
1. The erf on which the service station is located had been zoned for the purpose of running a fuel station. They were granted all the legal rights from the municipality
2. The illumination is in accordance with national regulations
3. The signage is in accordance with national regulations
4. No, they do not differentiate between urban, rural or sensitive fynbos areas when it comes to the amount of illumination used.
5. The service station is there to stay ( which of course I had not queried because lets face it, I need fuel as well as the Milky Way)

Well, at least someone had taken the time to attend to my query and had actually responded. “Yes I understand. Thank you for taking the time….” I was about to say goodbye….

“But what we will do……The sign has recently been damaged by the wind. During repairs we will remove the sensor that automatically switches on the light at nightfall. The service station closes at 6pm. The light will be switched off then. Please go and remind the retailer if they forget to switch off the sign. The downlights over the pumps will, unfortunately, have to remain on throughout the night.”

Caltex will be switching off its sign! If each of us would switch off, use motion sensors or at least shield outdoor lights, the natural night sky could be preserved for generations to come and not become the legend of Betty’s Bay and its Milky Way.

Credit. http://wwwpenny4nasa.org

Credit.
http://wwwpenny4nasa.org

Residential lighting guidelines  http://www.darksky.org/assets/documents/PG3-residential-lighting

International Dark Sky Places

Posted on by June 17, 2014

March 2014

OrionNow would it not be absolutely wonderful if Betty’s Bay could be declared an International  Dark Sky Place? It certainly has all the potential to become one and not such a difficult goal to achieve either.
First of all we would have to implement a community-wide lighting code. Now how difficult could that be?
As set in the International Dark Sky Association Guidelines, we would have to promote responsible lighting and set an example to surrounding communities, promote eco-tourism, protect human health, nocturnal habitats and public enjoyment of the night sky.
Betty’s Bay’s  lighting code would have to adhere to the following: Fully-shielded or  full cutoff  standard for all lighting fixtures over 3000  lumens  initial  lamp  output.  Is that sounding too technical? In other words we would not be allowed to project our lighting heavenwards and in all directions, onto our neighbour’s property or flood the fynbos.
Restrictions would have to be placed on the total amount of unshielded lighting for an area of certain size with the issue of over-lighting to be taken seriously.
A wide range of community organizations would have to support the initiative – even the electricity suppliers.
How amazing it would be if the BBRA would support such an initiative!
If Betty’s Bay were to become an International Dark Sky Place, it would be allowed to use logos like ” First South African IDA Dark Sky Community”
Wow!
Even if Betty’s Bay never receives this international recognition, there is no reason why we could not retain and preserve the beautiful night sky. Our skies are darker than the surrounding communities. We are an example. Educators are in abundance and I have noticed that Betty’s Bay has some of the most enthusiastic folk when it comes to protecting this area.
I had my telescope out recently and standing out in the dark, I thought of all the kids that are growing up without seeing the stars….and I wondered, how can one live without being able to see the stars?
Oh yes, I almost forgot – I love promoting public enjoyment of the night sky!

http://www.darksky.org/international-dark-sky-places/about-ids-places

Two little Clouds

Posted on by June 11, 2020

Feb 2009

There are two little clouds that can only be seen from southern latitudes. Even on cloudless summer nights these two clouds are ever persistent. If you face south to southwest and slowly gaze slightly upward, you will notice them – one a bit larger than the other but night after night always taking on the same form. These two clouds do not belong to the Earth’s weather pattern at all but are actually two, very far away irregular dwarf galaxies called the Large and Small Magellanic clouds.

At a distance of 179,000 light years away, they were known as the Earth ‘s closest neighbouring galaxies until another galaxy, the Sagittarius Dwarf Elliptical Galaxy, which is 80,0000 light years away, was discovered in 1994.

However, not to be upstaged by the new discovery, the Magellanic Clouds will always hold appeal because of the fact that they both are clearly visible to the naked eye as well as being south circumpolar objects, sometimes a bit higher in the sky and sometimes dipping low towards the horizon. If you own binoculars, take a closer look at these two clouds. You are not going to see rain there but I can assure you that a pretty picture will unfold.

When I am at Betty’s Bay I gaze up at the sky regularly just to confirm that they can actually still be seen with the naked eye  I am always relieved that although I have new neighbours who tend to leave on outside lights throughout the night, I am still able to find the galaxies without the aid of my telescope.
A note to all Betty’s Bay residents: From where I live near city lights I cannot see the Magellanic Clouds at all. Like so much else that is precious about Betty’s Bay, the night skies also need to be preserved.