Discuss: Seeing Stars

Hurrah.  Laws requiring downlighting are sometimes called “reverbere” laws, after the reverberes of Paris—the ellipsoidal down-reflectors on traditional Paris streetlights.  And in the dark parts of the city, one can still see stars.  Reverberes were once common—NYC had them till the 1940s, which is why “see the stars” pay telescopes could do business in Central Park.  They’re more humane, more comfortable, more energy efficient, probably actually better at crime prevention, and CHEAP—it’s amazing how much a couple pounds of aluminum shaped to deflect the light downward helps, when you consider an unshielded light is sending as much as 50% of its light upward, i.e. into space, where they don’t need it.  Also it’s a design opportunity: the inside of the reflector needs to be ellipsoidal or perhaps gently parabolic, but the shell that surrounds it can be any number of shapes from the elegant to the whimsical, and that can become a kind of signature for a city.

I’m no professional astronomer but do own two fairly large telescopes, an 8” newtonian and a 7” maksutov. I live in Daytona Beach, Florida and before Daytona Beach was in Ocean Springs, Mississippi.  Both these small cities suffer from severe light polution. Seldom can an individual see an entire constellation.  Five years ago I bought a piece of land on Little Abaco, Bahamas.  Both scopes reside there now and though there are several street lights within a mile the sky is beautiful. The Milky way can be seen every evening as can the large and small Magellanic clouds. Whenever my stateside friends and relatives come to visit they are awed.  I wish more local governments would consider light pollution as a true pollution and do something to regulate it.  I have replaced or removed all exterior lights in my humble homes and though this almost has no effect on our electric bill, if you do the math you save a couple of dollars a month and throughout one short lifetime it adds up.  Be frugal, and try to do your share thats all I ask anybody that visits the night sky.