Light pollution – not just an energy problem
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.24425/ather.2025.156837Abstract
Light pollution is a growing problem in developed countries. One of its categories, often associated with this concept, is night sky glow. This glow is caused by scattering light from artificial ground light sources on atmospheric particles. The paper indicates that street lighting may be the primary source of light scattered on these particles. This is caused by often outdated luminaires or their installation, which does not protect the surroundings from light pollution. The second, even more important factor increasing the brightness of the sky glow may be the reflection of incident light upwards by the street surface. Satellite images of the Earth's surface allow for determining the radiance from a given area, determined by the amount of light scattered in the atmosphere. However, the part of this light associated with street lighting is difficult to separate from the background of other artificial ground light sources. In 2020, due to the COVID-19 pandemic and reduced traffic at night, the authorities of several municipalities in the Małopolska province in Poland decided to switch off street lighting at night. This was the first time street lighting was switched off for part of the year in large areas and entire cities. Analysis of satellite data allowed us to determine that the luminance from the analysed localities decreased by almost 70% after switching off city lighting. The analysis also allowed us to estimate the energy losses of city lighting resulting from lighting fixtures that do not protect the surroundings from light pollution.References
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