The Street Light

[Renato1]

We've been going to Italy for the last 10 years on vacation and catching up with relatives.

And for the last 10 years, I've been cursing the really bright street light attached to the house where we stay, for interfering with my use of binoculars and telescope at the odd times when the weather clear ups (on really good nights, I drive up into the mountains for viewing)

So, my brother and his nephews came back from Italy earlier this year, and we were discussing power outages over there, as the houses mainly have 3.4KW going into them. I said to my brother,
"By the way - any idea what that other power box is for in the kitchen, the one next to the main power box that cuts out the power in the house?"

He said,
"Oh - that turns off the street light outside the house".

Cheers,
Renato

[blink138]

ha ha!
pat

[graham.hobart]

:)serendipity!

[Weird1]

Well that is enough to drive you to drink, but not the cheap stuff.
Cheers Keith
:rofl::rofl::lol:

[Renato1]

Thanks Guys,
I'm going to Italy again later this year and guess what I'll be turning off the first thing I do when I get there?

I mean who ever heard of having the outside public street light switch inside of private dwelling?
Cheers,
Renato

[deanm]

When I was a kid in the UK, you only had to be 16 to own an air rifle - no license or anything.

After getting back into astro in Oz after a 20 year break, I was grizzly about the only significant source of light pollution nearby: a damn street light.

I contacted a local firearms shop & explained that I wanted to buy an air rifle to take out the offending illuminator.

They must have been so occupied with p*ssing themselves laughing that they never replied...!

Dean

(Still have the damned street light & no rifle!)

[Sconesbie]

Have a look at this. Bit of banter between neighbours and a lighting issue.

http://distractify.com/fun/pranks/letters-between-australian-troll-and-neighbor-over-floodlight/


Regards
Scott

[Chif]

I happen to live in Adelaide and own an air rifle. Perhaps I could become a street light hitman :rofl::rofl:

I live in a block of apartments and it's lit up like crazy. Fortunately most of the lights are easy enough to take the cover off and loosen the bulb until I'm done.

[LewisM]

Discharging a firearm in an urban area... you don't even want to know the fines and excrement you'll be in if caught! Let alone if the firearm was not registered or the dischargee wasn't licensed...

I know it's just light hearted banter, but it HAS been done and the conviction was NOT lenient.

[deanm]

Chif - you could start your own Light Brigade!

(Or how about being a 'Light Heavy'?!)

Dean

PS: how much for a 'hit'?!

[Renato1]

I keep hearing that it is supposed to be possible to turn off street lights with a strong enough laser for half an hour so, by aiming at the sensor which turns them on when the sun goes down.

Darned if I know where the sensor is, but I've never been able to turn one off no matter where I aimed.
Cheers,
Renato

[Renato1]

The victim of the neighbour's lights obviously never watched the Sopranos.

I had a similar problem with neighbours' kids playing loud music in their dooff dooff car in their front yard. Remembering the Sopranos episode, I put a souped up subwoofer in my window, aimed at their house and let it rip for several hours for two days. Well, the woofer would often shake my house, I don't know what it did to theirs, but the music stopped.
Cheers,
Renato

[OzStarGazer]

I was thinking of using something like this http://payload84.cargocollective.com/1/8/277421/3995916/13_2048.jpg for the street light near my building. :help:Nobody will notice me at 2 or 3 am. :) Old method, but foolproof.

[BilliGoatsGruff]

Haha this is wonderful! When I was younger we used to go around at night and donkey kick the light poles really hard so they would turn off. I can't remember how long it lasted, but if you have strong legs and are feeling rebellious then it might work. It's great for anger management :rofl:

[miker]

I'm not sure if that method would work on Electric lights. On those gas ones you probably shattered the Mantle.

Michael

[inertia8]

as young kids we used to kick em or shake them around and they'd go out for a while (accident or bad weather mode?)... Saw some others in the street kick one too often and the globe/cover fell down (older long tube style)

[Renato1]

I wouldn't be game to use that in Victoria - it's a prohibited weapon. Over here, you may be able to in limited cases get a license for a semi-automatic rifle, but they won't give you a license under any circumstance for that deadly weapon.

Although the ammunition for it is readily available in toy stores and requires no license (i.e. a bag of marbles).
Cheers,
Renato

[Renato1]

I can see where your love of amateur astronomy stemmed from. Though the technique wouldn't work around here - unfortunately.
Cheers,
Renato

[Eratosthenes]

I can only think of one way to take out a bulb

http://image1.masterfile.com/em_w/01/07/31/700-01073191em.jpg

...maybe two ways

http://thumbs.dreamstime.com/x/beautiful-girl-shooting-slingshot-main-meaning-image-order-to-reach-goal-necessary-to-aim-well-51279296.jpg

[MrB]

It does, but only lasts a few minutes.
It depends on how solid the pole is. It works on Mercury vapour lamps, tho I'm not sure about Sodium vapour, never tried.

[BilliGoatsGruff]

Oh, it was just your everyday street light. The always came back on after a while :)

[Ric]

Good to see you've had a win Renato.

I've had moments like that as well.

Where about in Italy are you heading to? We used to live up north in Cremona.

Cheers

[Renato1]

I am denied access to the first picture - I wonder what it is?

The second is cute.
Cheers,
Renato

[Renato1]

Thanks Ric. We go to Bassano Del Grappa.

I've never been to Cremona, though it could be within day trip distance being about 2.5 hours away.

Do they have the crazy laws there that force the shops to close between 12.30 and 3.30 to 4pm? I hate driving to places only to get there just before everything shuts down.
Cheers,
Renato

[Ric]

Not sure about the shops but I remember you had to get an appointment to visit the bank. No ATM's when I was there. :D

[OzStarGazer]

Is it the same place as in the song "Sul Ponte di Bassano"? I knew somebody (an elderly person) who sang that song all the time. :)
Is this the bridge?
http://www.zainoo.com/media/headimg/1674.JPEG

[Renato1]

Hi Ric,
That is indeed the place. The song is known all over Italy.

There is a sizeable astronomy club about 10km away in Nove, and I am now good friends with the chap who runs it - Leopoldo.

When they want to go to a really dark site they head up Monte Grappa and park themselves on the concrete of a helipad of an old NATO thermonuclear missile base. I haven't been up there as I start going funny and light headed as I get near the top of that mountain. I start singing songs for no reason, and my wife starts panicking - time to turn around and go back.
Cheers,
Renato

[solissydney]

I had better luck with a floodlight illuminating my home

The good news.

App. 45 percent of NSW will have the 80 watt street lights replaced with 18 w flat lens LED's. I expect these will have an option of a shield at the back for the purpose of
preventing back light spill for those who wish to have such.
SOLIS has inspected examples of such fixtures in 2 different locations in Baulkham Hills and Blacktown.

[Renato1]

Great. That's a big sign of hope for the rest of us.
Cheers,
Renato

[Renato1]

Well, we arrived in Italy a few weeks ago. It makes no difference whether I turn off the street light attached to our house or not. Because in our absence, they've added another four street lights around the property.

Talk about being afraid of the dark - it's no longer possible to be in the dark. I'm having a very hard time making out the constellations.
Regards,
Renato

[el_draco]

You Tube has examples:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NhH76mr-AQs

Good idea but I live in a dark site so not really an issue for me.

[inertia8]

Just on the topic of replacing the fluorescent street lights with LED's... I've been reading concerns on CN forums that this will mean that eyepiece narrowband filters will be ineffective in light polluted areas as the LEDs emit on the whole spectrum.

Has anyone heard or can validate the same?

[Renato1]

Thanks - but he used a 120mW laser.

Which was why I found the next clip about how to turn a 5mW laser into a 100mW laser very interesting.(unless it's an April Fools type clip).
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Aw0qvBPDzMM
Cheers,
Renato