Light pollution in Melbourne

[bojan]

In today's TV news.. and this:

https://www.onlymelbourne.com.au/101-lightshow#.XjKEBIhxVhE :sadeyes:
(https://www.onlymelbourne.com.au/101-lightshow#.XjKEBIhxVhE)

[multiweb]

Soon you'll be able to run solar panels at night.

[Outcast]

Geesh... I hope no-one up here in Cairns reads about this & thinks it's a great idea...

Whilst not on Melbourne's scale, our light pollution is appalling for what amounts to a relatively small regional town...

What an absolute waste of energy... we should be learning how to power things off not add more to the grid... I really don't see why cities & buildings need to be lit up quite the way they are..

[Wilso]

I noticed they didn’t have a dislike button :sadeyes:

[casstony]

It's gaudy too. Las Vegas here we come.

[strongmanmike]

Expanding population, LED lights, Elons Satellites, shight like this stupid building in Melbourne and annual 6 months or more of of bush fire smoke....the new reality. In about 50 years (or sooner?) I recon we will not see even a reasonably clear or dark sky, anywhere.......:sadeyes:

Mike

[Imme]

Just imagine what our pictures will be worth!!!

…..and how little our equipment will be worth.....

[Merlin66]

Hmmmm
Certainly getting worse all around the world - the general population have no real interest in the impact of light pollution on scientific research.

I have to say, you can overcome severe light pollution and continue to use your expensive astro cameras to obtain quality scientific data......just start spectroscopy.
We are not hampered by light pollution and have the means to remove it effectively from our data.
The current success of the 3D printed spectrographs is encouraging many amateurs to move into spectroscopy. I hope the trend continues.

[N1]

Australia is a big place.
That said, that building is an abomination, now more so.

[bojan]

I agree this is a good trend.. but I suspect "pretty spectra" can't compare with "pretty pictures" as far as many astrpphotographers are concerned....
What really bothers me is the fact that the beauty of clear, dark starry night can't possibly beat any LED display (regardless of number of colours), almost everybody will agree.. if given the upportunity to actually see it.
Everything else is just pure commercialism. And that is unbeatable.

[Nikolas]

As a melbournite I'll just add that this is already in action and has been for a few years on that building currently and all they are doing is replacing the old lights with energy efficient ones. The light pollution from this is minimal, however the amount of unnecessary light leakage from streetlights is the real issue with Melbourne's light pollution, that is out of control

[skysurfer]

But the impact is, when citizens are asked to use less energy, still great.


Read this:


https://www.smh.com.au/business/the-economy/east-coast-heatwave-threatens-national-power-grid-20200130-p53waj.html


and there is more important use for energy than this waste.