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Sherman A1

(38,958 posts)
Mon Jul 1, 2019, 03:37 PM Jul 2019

Scientists Change Light Bulbs At Truman State To Darken The Night Skies


When students and faculty at Truman State University come back for the fall semester, they might notice more stars in the sky.

After four years of research on how artificial light brightens the night sky, scientists are planning to change lighting on campus to direct light away from the sky. That could limit light pollution, which prevents people from seeing stars and galaxies, and also can disrupt sleep patterns.

NASA satellite imagery also has shown that light pollution around the world has increased over time, and scientists predict that it could get worse in the future. There are nebulae and other objects in the sky that aren’t easy to observe anymore, said Vayujeet Gokhale, a physics professor at Truman State.

“In really dark skies, you can see the Andromeda Galaxy with your naked eye, and I doubt in any of the cities or even small towns now you can see that at all,” Gokhale said.

https://news.stlpublicradio.org/post/scientists-change-light-bulbs-truman-state-darken-night-skies
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Scientists Change Light Bulbs At Truman State To Darken The Night Skies (Original Post) Sherman A1 Jul 2019 OP
Finally a step in the right direction Blues Heron Jul 2019 #1
It's pretty sad Calculating Jul 2019 #3
It sounds true but research doesn't back that up caraher Jul 2019 #4
These people BillyBobBrilliant Jul 2019 #2

Blues Heron

(5,898 posts)
1. Finally a step in the right direction
Mon Jul 1, 2019, 03:45 PM
Jul 2019

Our neighborhood over the last few years has been infested with ultra bright LED security lights to the point that it's lit up like a prison yard. Seemingly no thought has been given to shielding the bulbs so at least your eyes aren't blinded by the awful piercing glare of these LEDs.

Calculating

(2,954 posts)
3. It's pretty sad
Tue Jul 2, 2019, 10:54 AM
Jul 2019

People seem to believe 'more light=less car prowlers', and I guess it's correct, but it really wrecks havoc on the natural darkness at night.

caraher

(6,276 posts)
4. It sounds true but research doesn't back that up
Wed Jul 3, 2019, 12:04 AM
Jul 2019

It seems at best equivocal:

There is no clear scientific evidence that increased outdoor lighting deters crimes. It may make us feel safer, but has not been shown to make us safer.


There seems to be one recent study getting a lot of buzz suggesting more lighting deters some types of crime:

In contrast to previous outdoor lighting studies, the New York study shows an expected and dramatically significant correlation with crime at night.

Specifically, at night there was a 39% reduction in index crimes. Previous reports into lighting and crime undertaken in the US and the UK over the last two decades show a mixed picture, with lighting reducing crime in about half the studies but, significantly, not at night. The New York study, by contrast, shows an expected and dramatically significant correlation with crime at night.


But rarely is a single study conclusive. The bigger trend seems to be studies that don't see much of an effect, beyond boosting a sense of safety.

Although the research tends to not support a link between improved lighting and crime reduction, one thing is certain: People think that brighter lights at night make them safer. A 2015 study found that people in England associated “well-lit streets with competent and trustworthy government,” and that efforts to reduce nighttime lighting “tapped into deep-seated anxieties about darkness, modernity ‘going backwards’ and local governance.”





BillyBobBrilliant

(805 posts)
2. These people
Mon Jul 1, 2019, 04:34 PM
Jul 2019

are doing great work to that purpose.

https://www.darksky.org/

I work at a Medical School/Research/Treatment center in San Antonio, TX.All new projects for exterior lighting follows these ideas. We are converting existing lighting to conform. I understand it part of the city building code (although we are State of Texas and not bound by codes).

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