{"id":1516,"date":"2014-12-22T01:02:48","date_gmt":"2014-12-22T01:02:48","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/dev.austrinus.com\/?p=1516"},"modified":"2018-08-06T21:09:36","modified_gmt":"2018-08-06T21:09:36","slug":"contaminacion-luminica","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/austrinus.com\/en\/contaminacion-luminica\/","title":{"rendered":"What is light pollution?"},"content":{"rendered":"

Light pollution is a problem that greatly affects observational astronomy, perhaps to a greater extent amateur activity. This is the name given to all the light that is not used to illuminate the ground and buildings, but rather diffuses into the sky and ends up being wasted, with a consequent economic and ecological cost, since this prevents the objects from being appreciated with sufficient clarity. celestial bodies.<\/p>\n

How does light pollution occur?<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"Contaminaci\u00f3n1) Bad arrangement of the luminaires<\/strong>. It is the most typical cause, and is that the luminaires are not pointing strictly downwards; This implies that there is light being wasted and dispersed in the sky, preventing us from seeing the sky clearly; In turn, water or dust molecules help this light to disperse even more, potentially obstructing the vision of a nearby observatory; In other words, without the need for a city to be directly visible to an observatory, these phenomena make light pollution a clearly harmful factor for astronomy, amateur or professional.<\/p>\n

2) Light radiation at non-visible wavelengths.\u00a0<\/strong>It consists of certain radiation emitted by a luminaire being at wavelengths that the human eye does not perceive, therefore they are an extra and unnecessary polluting factor. This is also extremely harmful, since if the radiation from lights also has the same wavelengths as some weak stars, they will simply cease to be visible. Many luminaires are not designed in a way that optimizes their radiation at wavelengths strictly visible to humans.
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You can see a magnitude of the problem, both at the level of\u00a0Chili<\/strong>\u00a0(country recognized for having one of the clearest skies in the world), as well as some\u00a0examples of light pollution<\/strong>, in the respective subsections shown in the side column.<\/p>\n

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Perspectives of the problem<\/strong><\/p>\n

There are solutions to all these problems. The key is simply to have quality lighting. With this it is possible to preserve dark skies, improve the quality of night lighting (better visibility, security and more attractive environments) and it also implies saving money, by using light efficiently. To be successful in these purposes, you need to be aware of the problem and the solutions, which is quite rare (even among lighting professionals). Education is key to success.<\/p>\n

In broad terms, the risk is that within a few generations only a few people will be able to have a "live" view of the Universe. Urban glare will have made the dark sky disappear, just as the light on in a living room makes it impossible to see a slide show. This is why light pollution is such an important issue, just as global warming is.<\/p>\n

\u00abLight up the ground, not the sky\u00bb<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"LaIt is ideal to become aware of the situation. Insist on quality lighting and practicing it yourself, especially the amateur astronomer. Good lighting is directed towards where it is required, not upwards or towards where it is lost and produces glare and light invasion.<\/p>\n

Of course, this does not mean that reducing luminosity also decreases safety, since fewer luminaires are not required, but simply that they aim well. The representative institution in this area is\u00a0International Dark Sky Association<\/strong>,\u00a0GOING<\/strong><\/em>\u00a0(International Dark Sky Association<\/em>), non-profit organization whose goal is dissemination and solutions to the problem.<\/p>\n

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Light pollution in Chile<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"opcc-icon\"In Chile, like many other countries in the world, the problem of pollution is not foreign. Especially in the north, where the large observatories are located, and throughout the entire territory where astronomical activity takes place, some sectors are simply poorly lit and considerably reduce night vision. However, in recent years awareness of the problem has been raised and at the same time a series of initiatives have been promoted to protect the country's skies. To better understand the problem, a series of negative consequences of light pollution are detailed below:<\/p>\n