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Earth hour.

Discussion in 'General Astronomy Chat' started by kevan hubbard, Mar 30, 2019.

Earth hour.

Started by kevan hubbard on Mar 30, 2019 at 2:14 PM

8 Replies 1488 Views 0 Likes

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  1. kevan hubbard

    kevan hubbard Well-Known Member

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    kevan hubbard, Mar 30, 2019
    #1
    Just been looking at the pictures of the buildings during earth hour when they turn off the night sky destroying floodlights that light up so many of our structures purely for the vanity of their owners.however I ask what's the point?.....1 hour a year for the rest of the year they are free to flood the night sky with light,waste huge amounts of money and generate more carbon dioxide.
     
  2. Leonard

    Leonard Well-Known Member

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    Leonard, Apr 2, 2019
    #2
    Yes, what a shame.

    Also, if you live anywhere close by, the wasted light intrudes onto your property. Indeed, that light trespasses on your property.

    What right does your neighbor have to light up your yard? It angers me, because I have spent a lot of money in astronomy equipment to have it’s effectiveness offset by uncontrolled exterior lights used by the unconcerned.

    I have asked several if my neighbors to turn off, turn around, or somehow dim their outside lights. I have nicely explained why. I don’t drive my car through their yard, I don’t play music or my TV at a loud intrusion volume, I don’t let my trash drift onto their yard. So, why do they feel it’s ok to let light trespass in my property.

    I once called the City Police Dept about too much light from my neighbor. I was told there is no law against light pollution. I replied; So,
    I can get a spotlight and shine it all night on their property. I did not get an answer.

    I did get the power company to paint the inside of the light dome of their street light which faces my house. They used a black paint. I told them it was so bright I could read a newspaper on my front porch. They were very nice and quickly acted. A few years later after the dome and light was replaced, I called again and in no time they sprayed a black paint in the inside of the dome that faces my home.

    I have read that the economic loss is extensive. While the wasted energy and added pollution just adds to the lunacy. The only hope is to be a pest. Call and complain endlessly.
     
  3. kevan hubbard

    kevan hubbard Well-Known Member

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    kevan hubbard, May 3, 2019
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    Yes it's generally that case that arguments against light pollution by the green movement are often focused on the vast amount of wasted energy and the pollution it causes not the light itself being pollution.now if you tip cyanide into a stream it'll kill loads of things and if you get caught you will be fined and possibly go to prison or receive some kind of non custodial sentence however if you tip a load of light into the night sky nothing will happen. the evidence shows that this light is killing billions of insects and millions of birds and therefore effecting the ecosystem of our planet and that's not counting the wasted energy and it's pollution plus the depletion of the finite resources of Earth.
     
  4. Leonard

    Leonard Well-Known Member

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    Leonard, May 3, 2019
    #4
    Yes. I have read about the disastrous effects of light pollution.
     
  5. Leonard

    Leonard Well-Known Member

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    Leonard, May 3, 2019
    #5

    Yep, we live like there is no end in sight of our resources. Wasted light is light generated by some resource. Most likely burnt fossil fuel.

    I understand that people feel the need to light up they’re property in the night, and it’s their property. But, they should be responsible.
     
  6. kevan hubbard

    kevan hubbard Well-Known Member

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    kevan hubbard, May 5, 2019
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    I'd guess that most electric energy on Earth is still produced by fossil fuels,mainly coal and gas? which must be running out I think that I've read that humans have managed to deplete about 1.5 percent of the fossil fuels.it doesn't sound like much of a dent but when you consider that it's only since the 1830s that we've been burning it at an industrial pace,less than 200 years.as fuel use will increase not drop it would seem unlikely that it can be sustained for another 200 years?I don't know what the answer is but clearly it can't go on for much longer.
     
  7. Leonard

    Leonard Well-Known Member

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    Leonard, May 6, 2019
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    Obviously it’s a dead end, and catastrophe awaits. But, there is so much money to be made selling us energy that they will not stop until we run out.
     
  8. kevan hubbard

    kevan hubbard Well-Known Member

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    kevan hubbard, May 6, 2019
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    It's a sort of Malthus curve of energy use,demand grows faster than it can be produced.of course a lot of it is unnecessary like lit roads nobody lives on,floodlit buildings and trees.whilst to us the effect on the night sky,on animals and the huge wastage of energy is obvious but nobody else seems to see this or care.i always find it strange that they can moralise about leaving a tv on standby whilst down the road you may have a floodlit church.the energy wasted by the tv is miniscule compared with the floodlights on all night.
     
  9. John Done

    John Done Member

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    John Done, Oct 2, 2020
    #9
    What about the Starlink satellites that produce much light thus influencing astronomy exploration. But no one will argue about it when the Internet will be launched and proceeded all over the world.
     

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