Astronomy and Astrophysics – Astrophysics – Instrumentation and Methods for Astrophysics
Scientific paper
2010-11-29
Astronomy and Astrophysics
Astrophysics
Instrumentation and Methods for Astrophysics
8 pages, 6 figures. Invited keynote speech at the CIE Conference "Light Quality and Energy Efficiency" - Vienna, March 2010
Scientific paper
Europe and a number of countries in the world are investing significant amounts of public money to operate and maintain large, ground-based astronomical facilities. Even larger projects are under development to observe the faintest and most remote astrophysical sources in the universe. As of today, on the planet there are very few sites that satisfy all the demanding criteria for such sensitive and expensive equipment, including a low level of light pollution. Because of the uncontrolled growth of incorrect illumination, even these protected and usually remote sites are at risk. Although the reasons for intelligent lighting reside in energy saving and environmental effects, the impact on scientific research cannot be neglected or underestimated, because of its high cultural value for the progress of the whole mankind. After setting the stage, in this paper I review the effects of improper lighting on professional optical and near-UV astronomical data, and discuss the possible solutions to both preserve the night sky natural darkness and produce an efficient and cost-effective illumination.
No associations
LandOfFree
The Effects of Improper Lighting on Professional Astronomical Observations does not yet have a rating. At this time, there are no reviews or comments for this scientific paper.
If you have personal experience with The Effects of Improper Lighting on Professional Astronomical Observations, we encourage you to share that experience with our LandOfFree.com community. Your opinion is very important and The Effects of Improper Lighting on Professional Astronomical Observations will most certainly appreciate the feedback.
Profile ID: LFWR-SCP-O-220590