Yard lights

[lblair]

When we bought our home in the country there were two mercury vapor lights. One at each end of the house hard wired into near by recepticals. I put plugs on the wire and now plug them in when i want them on. The neighbors are so far away they cant see them anyways. Unless im need them on...they are off. The neighbor to the north of us have about 6 lights around their pond. I can barley see them when they are on, and it wouldnt matter if i could see them well. After owning 2 village homes and dealing with weird neighbors for 18 years i can live with a light turned on thats 1000 feet away. Try waking up to fighting neighbors, or you trimmed your trees not to their liking. I had many many issues living in the village....NEVER again [img]/forums/images/icons/grin.gif[/img] We had real nice homes and wonderfull landscaped yards in the village. For the most part our neighbors sucked [img]/forums/images/icons/shocked.gif[/img] No matter what i did someone didnt like it. I would just mind my own bizz and they would have to bring ones bad side out one way or another. Misery loves company [img]/forums/images/icons/frown.gif[/img]
Larry

[Pat]

I have a light on a sensor at my shop bld near the hwy. I plan to replace it with one on a IR motion detector for a couple reasons. Let me congratulate those among us who appreciate seeing the stars, moon, etc. You might want to check into the International Dark Skies Association. This is a group with one single motivation, preventing the destruction of the ability to see the stars at night. In may cities kids never see the stars or at best a poor dim ghost of what is possible. Not all members of the Dark Skies outfit are astronomers but of course they care too.

There are lights available that do not needlessly illuminate the sky. Any light that can be seen directly (you can see the bulb or real bright part of fixture) from a distance greater than the lights usefull range is wasting energy. Likewise lights that send a lot of light skyward waste energy as well as spoil the night.

There are photos taken from space of the US and it is lit up like a Christmas tree. All this light is wasted and going up into space or lighting up the sky reducing contrast and ruining the view of the heavens. In these photos you can see all the major populaltion centers and highways. There are precious few areas left with skies that aren't seriously light poluted.

For selfish reasons of energy efficiency folks should consider retrofiting reflectors to redirect "spill" light down toward the ground. After all that was why you light the darned thing in the first place.

Regarding "light the night to fight crime". This just isn't reflected in the statistics. In rural areas, more often than not, night lights advertise what is available and make inventory and acquisition easier for thieves. I recall someone commenting about their old neighborhood being so dark at night the kids needed flashlights after dark. After the kid's bed time anyone outside on a dark night needed a light to navigate. Anyone out late at night with a light was either in trouble or up to no good. Night time theft was non existant with only illuminated doorbell buttons to indicate life. A crook woud have to use a light and make himself obvious.

Patrick

[egon]

Lying on one's back on a warm summer night watching the night skies listening to the night creatures is indeed enjoyable.

Winter's cold air and the advent of the northern lights crackling and dancing from horizon to horizon is an experience that defies description other than by experience.
Only dark skies will allow such to happen.

Egon

[Pat]

As a lad I was in Ohio for 7 winters. I confess that I used to go out at night with an old pair of field glasses to lay on my back on my sled and look at the heavens. Few celestial viewing experiences have been the equal. I got spoiled out west with mountains nearby to give easy altitude to get above the evening stratus. Around here we don't get that much good seeing but on occasion it is wonderful. I have seen the aurora in Alaska, Canada, and North Dakota but the best I ever saw was here in south central Oklahoma last November.

My neighbors are so in love with their LIGHT THE NIGHT lights that when I set up my telescope I will probably put up a screen to obscure the first several degrees above the horizon to reduce the interference a bit. Unfortunately they put so much light up into the sky that it reduces the contrast and makes faint object observation difficult to imposible. It isn't that they intend to "tresspass by light" they are just ignorant and wastfull. If they used proper reflectors they woud get a lot more light for their $ and the skies around me would have much better contrast.

Patrick

[tdenny]

Pat,

I must admit that I very much enjoy looking at the stars at night in the back yard. Since I live in the mountains in the country I get a spectacular view regularly in my back yard with no lights it is of course much nicer but.... With that being said I think you are generalizing fairly irrationally about people who use lights at night. I'm out there often into the wee hours of the morning and I'd sure hate to have to wait for those sodium lights to "warm" up every time I went outside - perhaps I'm being selfish. Additionally it is nice to light the driveway so visitors can see where they are going as well. I actually do prefer motion lights but in some instances they just don't cut it. Enjoy the heavens.

[Pat]

tdenny, I'm sorry but I just can't seem to correlate your comments to either of my previous posts in this thread.

You said---> I think you are generalizing fairly irrationally about people who use lights at night. I'm out there often into the wee hours of the morning and I'd sure hate to have to wait for those sodium lights to "warm" up every time I went outside - perhaps I'm being selfish. /close quote/

My beef, if you can call it that is with people who out of ignorance, stupidity, or poor manners choose to pay for electricity to shine light up into the sky or hundreds (or thousands) of yards off their property. I didn't say sodium (high or low pressure) or mercury discharge or any slow turn on ballasted fixture. I think I just commented on wasted light that was a form of tresspass and or polution.

Having lights with proper reflectors that direct all the light you are paying for where you need it instead of up in the sky or off your own property is in your own best interest as well as everyone elses.

I fail to see a connection between counselling folks to get the light they pay for where they want it and irrational generalization. Hey, maybe so, but you'll have to break it down for me as I "don't see the light" yet.

Motion detector lights (still with proper reflectors) are a great way to seriously reduce light polution, tresspass, and save money on electricity. Most of those motion detector actuated lights have a way to over ride the motion detector and force them to turn on, usually by flicking their switch off and back on immediately. That would allow you to make the lights come on when you want and be automatic when unattended, sort of the best of both worlds with only the expense of the one set of lights.

I apologize if I somehow offended you. I would hope that you know now that following my suggestions does not take anything away from you. It would give you more light where you put the fixture. I don't see how not shining light up into the sky or onto your neighbor's property would harm you.

What's left, my use of the term IGNORANCE? Ignorance is just not knowing any better but can be curred through learning. No big deal. Being ignorant about something is a frequent thing for most of us, certainly me.

If it is the "light the night" thing that bothered you... well, there are reliable statistics that show that in many instances, it has the opposite effect. It makes it easy for the criminal element to "case" properties without drawing attention to themselves.

Anyway, I encourage folks to use whatever light they need, just not waste electricity making light to waste up in the sky or way out across the world where it does the light's owner no benefit.

As regards, lights... If you have a use that low pressure sodium will fill it is extremely efficient AND it is easy for the science guys to filter out (double D lines of sodium is all there is to its spectrum.)

As the astronomers say, "Keep looking up." And have a nice day.

Patrick [img]/forums/images/icons/smile.gif[/img]

[tdenny]

Patrick,

No offense taken here and I too, apologize if I have spouted off incoherently. I haven't actually seen light reflectors that you are referring to. My lights appear to shine towards the ground but perhaps I'd better take another look. I never intend to interfere with someone's star gazing but I fell I need the lights I've situated around my place. [img]/forums/images/icons/smile.gif[/img]

[Pat]

TD, I don't have a problem with how many or how bright someones lights are on their side of the fence. There are several good reasons to not shine your lights off of your property or into the sky. You are wasting your $, poluting the night sky ( a precious resource that is realling taking a hit), and needlessly tresspassing on your neighbors dark.

I have some neighbors about 6-800 ft away with two light-the-night outside lights. They are clueless and unapproachable. As a result I have to keep my blinds closed to not be bothered by the light while trying to sleep. When I might get up in the dark and look out the window I have these lights shining in my eyes making it harder to see deer and such, not easier.

There are outdoor lights expressly designed for lighting efficiency and controlling light polution. I have seen the advertisements. I have read of folks retrofiting various home brew reflectors and shades onto their current lights to control unwanted glare. A little aluminum flashing or thin galvanized sheet metal and I could "fix" most fixtures I've seen. In an industrial-agricultural setting my fixes wouldn't be too ugly. Most folks would probably not want it in their den.

The greatest danger is attitude. If everyone thinks that their little stray light doesn't matter and does nothing, they we all lose the beautiful dark skies. It is like the attitude that if I litter just a little bit, it won't make much difference. But if enough folks litters a little bit we all have to live in a big mess.

/soap box off/

Pat

[tdenny]

Patrick,

Point taken.

[itsmeCindi]

Our yard light serves us when we need to go out after dark mostly in the winter months when it's dark by 5:30. It also alerts our dogs to the fact if someone is nosin' around or critters are on the prowl.