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Old 09-11-2022, 04:05 AM   #42
ApS
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Arrow Light Pollution on The Lake...

Quote:
Originally Posted by ITD View Post
Shut the lights off, please. There is nothing more spectacular than the Winni night sky on a dark night. Man made lighting ruins it. More and more people are lighting up their expensive homes. They are missing out on one of the greatest features of being up here, plus ruining it for everyone else.
I've seen Aurora Borealis only once at Lake Winnipesaukee, and that occurred in the 1970s.

From what I've been reading, we're at an ideal location for witnessing Aurora Borealis in the USA. You'd think that Colorado would be better, but you'd be wrong.

Man-made lighting takes away from a unique experience: Taken from a New Hampshire discussion:

Quote:
What is Light pollution, and how does it affect seeing the northern lights?
Light pollution is the presence of excessive and unwanted artificial lighting that dominates the atmosphere, especially at night. Misdirected and too much light pollution comes at a cost – it dilutes starlight, disrupts ecosystems, and interferes with astronomical research. In addition to that, it also lowers your chance of seeing northern lights. This is because light pollution is usually brighter than the northern lights and can therefore wash out the majestic natural spectacle.
As far as "fighting change", my small neighborhood in Florida has successfully managed nighttime lighting. We have a brilliant night sky now, and it didn't involve a great many households. There, we're not a high-crime area, and were quite distant from commercial lighting. Our night sky re-appeared when Wolfeboro's Trites car dealership closed--SIX miles away!

The challenge is to contact neighbors--and the tool for spreading the word is forums like this one. The word will spread.

On another note: one out-of-state NY tenant left our 500-watt sundeck light on all night. I convinced them to turn it off because it draws moths--and the "greeting" they get clearing spiderwebs in the morning can be lessened.

Even interior lighting formerly caused bats to fly through our porch. While that really hasn't restricted our evening use of the porch, I've had them flutter close--touching my hair and ears! When our native bats are restored from their own pandemic, it should become easier to fight Lake Winnipesaukee's lighting pollution.

On the other hand, we can have a misty orange sky--like Miami!
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