Don’t Light Up My Night
I remember gazing at the stars with my mom when I was a kid. She pointed out the Milky Way and a number of constellations. She told me, “there are way too many stars to count!” Now, 50 years later, when I walk outside and look up, I see only a few identifiable constellations, no Milky Way, and I would venture to say there were so few stars that if I took a little time, I could count them all. Are there really fewer stars in the heavens? Not at all. The stars are up there, they just cannot be seen by the naked eye from the vast majority of heavily populated vantage points anymore. The culprit, I learned, is called “Light Pollution”.
According to the International Dark-Sky Association (IDA), light pollution is “the unnatural luminescence created by a combination of urban sky glow, glare and light trespass” (Petersen). What that means is that the artificial lighting of nighttime hours has created a bright halo, or “glow”, over urban and some rural areas, eliminating the natural state of total darkness. The “glare” refers to horizontal light that shines directly into one’s eyes. “Light trespass” involves unwanted artificial light spilling onto and into property (from floodlights, security lights, street lights) that would otherwise be dark (IDA). Astronomers were the first to notice this problem 30 years ago when they became frustrated as sky glow began impairing their ability to see the stars (Bower).
Since Thomas Edison's invention of the incandescent light bulb in 1879, people have been lighting up the night in ever-increasing ways and intensities. As a result of this human-manufactured illumination, in her article, Our Vanishing Night, Verlyn Klinkenborg shares, “In most cities, the sky looks as thoug...
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International Dark-Sky Association. International Dark-Sky Association. 2011.Web. 22 Nov. 2011
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What is Light pollution? Light pollution is artificial skylight that interferes especially with astronomical observations. Light pollution has been around for centuries. According to “Stars”, “two-thirds of humanity live under the orange haze of a light-polluted night sky and one-fifth cannot see the Milky Way, the galaxy that contains Earth.” The Milky Way looks like a line that is filled with starts stretching throughout the sky (“Stars”). Not a lot of people are aware of this issue. The main cause of light pollution is bad lighting design. This allows artificial light to shine outward and upward into the sky, where its not wanted (356).
Wexler, L. (2005, October 23). Darkness on the Edge of Town. In The Washington Post. Retrieved November 20, 2013, from http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/10/20/AR2005102001715.html
Ralph heard the night watchman call lights out. The moon gleaming in the window was the only source of light within Ralph’s room now. Even in the dim light he could make out the sink and toilet. The room was padded, and the door had a glass window that reflected fluorescent light into the room. The combination of the artificial and natural light created a faint glimmer upon the mirror that hung above the sink.
Paul Bogard uses many techniques to build an argument throughout his essay, “Let there be Dark.” He feels strongly about his argument. He makes five prominent arguments which are personal experiences, stats, ecological light pollution,“wasted dollars”, and sleep disorders. He persuades the reader to understand the true meaning of darkness and not to forget about it because of our habit to look at electronic devices.
describes the scene, " The lights grow brighter as the earth lurches away from the sun, and
We are all going to die. It is only a matter of how and when. Many people wish for a peaceful death in which it is as seamless as falling asleep. However, Dylan Thomas goes against this particular grain in “Do Not Go Gentle into That Good Night”. With the use of a defiant tone, repetition of critical lines, and provocative metaphors, Thomas implores individuals that they should not at any point give up despite death being imminent.
When the sun shoots in through the east window- I always watch for that first long, straight ray-it changes so quickly that I never quite believe it. That is why I watch it always. By moonlight- the moon shines in all night when there is a moon- I wouldn’t know it as the same paper. At night any kind of light, in twilight, candlelight, lamplight, and worst of all by moonlight, it becomes bars! The outside pattern I mean…” (Gilman 653).
Light pollution is one of the inevitable problems of the prosperous cities all around the world, including Hong Kong. The brightness of the night sky in Hong Kong is 82 times higher than the International Astronomical Union standard and the average night sky in urban is 15 times brighter than rural area (Daniel, Michael, Marina and Gregory, 2010), where Causeway bay, Tsim Sha Tsui and Mong Kok, are especially severe. Street lights, car headlights and advertising lights are the major sources of serious light pollution. In between, advertising lights are the easiest to be reduced while they impact on people’s lives the most. This essay will argue that advertising lights should be switched off after midnight to protect residents’ health and ecology.
London sky was covered in pitch black, the myriad of stars hiding behind the veils of cloud cover. The encompassing darkness had blotted out all but the faintest light, leaving the dim London lampposts to guide the pedestrians. The sky rumbles, thunder echos from the Heavens as if warning him to go back and not to intervene with their plans set in stone. Mother's tighten their grips on their children, the elderly quicken their steps, people brushing their shoulders amongst another; trying to reach their destinations and take shelter before the the sky tears open.
Common consequences of light pollution have been named, defined, and are now synonymous with the term “light pollution”. Light trespass occurs when a neighbor’s lighting crosses property lines. Skyglow is the light seen in the sky even on the clearest of nights, blocking the view of the stars. Glare is one of the most common problems caused by bright and poorly aimed light, resulting in discomfort of the eyes. Quantifying these terms and researching at which points they become problematic will play an important role in creating and enforcing light related laws.
Light pollution is the “inappropriate or excessive usage of light causing glare, sky glow, and light trespass”. (IDA). Too much light washes out starlight in the night sky, which causes a lot of problems on earth (Haas). The more we educate ourselves on the effects of light pollution, the more effective we can be at minimizing the effects.
It was a rainy night. The dark clouds blocked the moon light from hitting the ground. Down on Earth, the Evergreens and other plants and trees shook violently in the wind. The rain water from above crashed onto them violently. The ground was covered with leaves and broken branches, barely visible during a night like this. There was also a great amount of fog throughout the woods. The huge mountains in the East were barely visible from here. There was a small town nearby, just across the road. The small trees around the houses were being illuminated by the faint lights of the lanterns that were put outside. Everything was silent, for it was late at night.
The sunset was not spectacular that day. The vivid ruby and tangerine streaks that so often caressed the blue brow of the sky were sleeping, hidden behind the heavy mists. There are some days when the sunlight seems to dance, to weave and frolic with tongues of fire between the blades of grass. Not on that day. That evening, the yellow light was sickly. It diffused softly through the gray curtains with a shrouded light that just failed to illuminate. High up in the treetops, the leaves swayed, but on the ground, the grass was silent, limp and unmoving. The sun set and the earth waited.
Life before the light bulb created many situations that would never happen today. In the 1800s the people would carry around lanterns for light, those lanterns were powered by fire. One of the biggest problems for lanterns was that if there was any reason to be left in front of a curtain or dropped a fire would occur, buildings would burn down just because of one lantern. Also the lantern requires to be changed or refilled, which creates an inconvenience. The amount of light that the lantern brought into the room wasn’t that much. People would have to have a couple of lanterns in each room to light up the room a little bit. If you are walking round at night the lanterns is very heavy and if you were the only one it would be a lot to carry if you had anything else with you. The crime without electricity was at an all-time high. Most criminals use the use dark as a sidekick, people can’t see your face and it is easier to get around. Before the light bulb as invented there wasn’t always an easy way to get light or around.