Students Map Light Pollution on Campus

March 26, 2009

New York City skyline On Tuesday, March 24, 2009, a group of students and professors gathered in Perini Lecture Hall to discuss the harmful effects of light pollution.

Following a short film explaining light pollution, the group compared the clarity of the Orion constellation from two locations on campus. Results were submitted to Globe at Night, a worldwide initiative to map light pollution.

Flood lights illuminating Alumni Hall and lights surrounding the quad made it difficult to clearly view the stars. Only the brightest stars in the Orion constellation were visible in the center of campus.

Sarah Friberg '11 observes Orion Down the road at the Izart Observatory, the sky was significantly clearer. In the absence of intrusive lights, the stars forming Orion's belt and sword were visible.

According to the International Dark-Sky Association (IDA), light pollution is "Any adverse effect of artificial light including sky glow, glare, light trespass, light clutter, decreased visibility a night, and energy waste."

Light pollution has become a serious problem in the last 40 years. Sadly, about 200 million people across the globe cannot see the Milky Way from their home. Light pollution damages humanity's celestial relationship with the night sky, disrupts ecosystems, and contributes to a number of health problems, including hypertension, headaches, and insomnia.

According to Professor Ian Durham of the physics department, "Before the invention of the light bulb, human beings slept an average of 10 hours per night; today, most people only receive about 6.5 hours of sleep each night." Light is essential for productivity and safety, but light must be generated more efficiently.

Example of light pollution over lake The IDA was formed in the 1988 to outline goals for safer, more intelligent lights. Replacing traditional outdoor lighting with full cutoff light fixtures prevents light from beaming upward and reduces hazardous glare. Additionally, setting external lights on a sensor controls light energy and is a more effective method of security.