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(n.b. It is not the opposite of heavy
pollution!)
Whether it keeps you awake through a bedroom
window or impedes your view of the night sky, light
pollution is a reality. Of Astronomers, both
amateur and professional, 90% now suffer from
problems caused by light pollution.
Cutting down on light pollution does not have to
be expensive. In practice, it can prove to be less
expensive without losing light. As examples
switching from a 300/500 Watt in an infra-red
detector to a 150 Watt bulb, and replacing porch
lights with a 9 Watt compact fluorescent bulb will
give the same amount of light but use much less
energy.
Security lighting is a necessity for ensuring
safety in some situations, but by ensuring that the
beam-angle on halogen lamps is kept below
70o and shields or baffles are used,
light-spill can be reduced by up to 80%. But, of
course, it goes without saying that the only way to
banish light pollution altogether is to turn off
lights when they are not needed.
The light from the rest of the Universe takes
hundreds, thousands or millions of years to reach
our eyes. What a terrible pity it is to lose it on
the very last moments of its journey!
For more information about light-pollution
contact the QED Waste Management Group, c/o
Alan
Cremer, Dartford Borough Council, Civic Centre,
Home Gardens, Dartford DA1 1DR, or telephone 01322
343250.
Alternatively you can contact the British
Astonomical Association's
Campaign
for Dark Skies, c/o The Coordinator, 38 The
Vineries, Colehill, Wimbourne, Dorset, BH21 2PX,
enclosing a stamped, addressed envelope.
Julie Morton (Chair: QED)
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