| Subject: An astronomer's nightmare and public nuisance-Light Pollution |
Author:
Betty
|
[
Next Thread |
Previous Thread |
Next Message |
Previous Message
]
Date Posted: 15:56:10 03/29/05 Tue
There are two things that will almost cause an astronomer to have a panic attack. They are cloudy weather and light pollution. While there is nothing we can do about the weather, light pollution can easily be controlled with the proper lighting fixtures and consideration for others. The General Assembly has granted Augusta County authority to regulate outdoor lighting for business and commercial purposes. Augusta County could become the tenth county in Virginia to pass a lighting ordinance. Even the Code of Virginia now requires state bodies (including VDOT) to procure only shielded outdoor lighting fixtures that minimize glare, light trespass and sky glow.
Last month, I attended the Augusta County Board of Supervisors meeting in Verona and came away with some reservations about the board accepting the proposed lighting ordinance. Upon presentation of the ordinance, two of the board members made a couple of remarks which led me to the conclusion that when this ordinance comes up for a public hearing March 23, I'm not sure that it will pass.
The planning commission will meet again March 8. The remarks that gave me some concern were, "I don't see the need for a lighting ordinance anyway". "This should be left up to the state legislators instead of the county." "Why should we cause a hardship on homeowners just to satisfy a few stargazers"? The last remark about stargazers, as well as I can remember, pertained to article eight, which stated, "that any outdoor lighting within a half of a mile from an astronomical observatory would have to be shielded". I would like to make it clear that there are only a few amateur astronomers that use the Stokesville observatory site on a regular basis. The Shenandoah Valley Stargazers, which is a non-profit organization, sponsors several yearly open house public events at the observatory free of charge. At these events, hundreds usually show up. Two years ago, more than 1,200 attended over two weekends for the close encounter with Mars.
Many civic organizations, hundreds of school children and boy and girl scouts are given tours and lectures on astronomy at the observatory. The Stokesville observatory is one of a kind. It's the only observatory in the Shenandoah Valley that is available upon request at any time of year for any group. The observatory is located in a fairly dark area in Augusta County, but if the encroachment of unshielded and poorly-directed lighting, the facility will become useless in the near future.
What about the public concerns on lighting? Do you have a neighbor that has a dusk to dawn security light that shines in your bedroom window? It is a known health fact that we need darkness for a good night of sleep. Yes, I have been told to close my blinds if I don't like the light. I have no problem with my neighbor lighting his property, but I don't think he has the right to light mine unless I agree. There are shields available for dusk to dawn lights that keep the light from extending onto adjacent property. When my wife and I built our home near Verona, we lived in the country where it was dark. Not any more. There are several business in front of our home that use unshielded lighting and light fixtures that shine directly on the front of our house. We asked them if they would mind directing the lighting in a way as not to light our property. They did something all right, they installed more of the same kind of fixtures.
Then there is the safety factor of poorly directed lighting. Anyone driving our highways at night will certainly notice business lighting that shines directly into the drivers windshield. This is a dangerous situation. Bright lights cause the loss of night vision, so when driving from a highly-lighted area into the dark of night, it takes our eyes several minutes to become adapted to the dark. Why do you think there is a dimmer switch on our automobiles? It's to keep from blinding the approaching driver, and it's the law.
[
Next Thread |
Previous Thread |
Next Message |
Previous Message
]
| |
Feedback: 