outdoor lighting

[felger at CCIT.ARIZONA.EDU]

> As an amateur astronomer I can tell you that light pollution is a real
> and serious problem for those of us who view the sky.
> 

In Tucson City Ordinance forbids the use of Mercury Vapor bulbs, however
low-pressure sodium and other bulbs are used in most places, although I
see an alarming number of mv lights around town.

This ordinance was enacted mainly due to the proximity of several notable
observatories on mountaintops nearby, as I understand it.

You still can't see the milky way in Tucson and the city is visible as a
pink glow on the horizon from more than 80 miles away.

The effects of light on moths and other nocturnal insects still appear to
be a source of debate, but I am certain that the effects on many large
moths are severe.  A moth that conducts most of its affairs in fewer than
36 hours (3 nights worth of time--and perhaps even less time since many
species do not have activity periods that last through all the dark hours)
cannot afford to waste any time fluttering about lights.  The "point"
predation at lights is also severe (from bats, toads, and other animals
which learn to visit lights)  and the effects of automobiles passing under
the many lights over causeways and roadways (which so happens is where
many of the larger mv lights are placed) are, likewise, important. 


MFW