A streetlight in my neighborhood made me rethink my whole setup

I was trying to get a good look at Jupiter's moons from my driveway last Tuesday, around 9 PM. I had my little 70mm refractor out, but I just couldn't get a sharp view. I kept fiddling with the focus, thinking it was me or the scope. Then I realized the new LED streetlight they installed at the end of the block two months ago was casting a crazy bright, harsh white glow right over my yard. It wasn't just general light pollution, it was a direct beam washing everything out. I moved my whole setup to the other side of my house, behind a big lilac bush, and the difference was night and day, no pun intended. The view cleared up so much I could finally see the four Galilean moons clearly. I guess I never really understood how much one single, close light source could wreck things. Has anyone else had to completely change their observing spot because of a new light in the area?

3 comments

3 Comments

michael_patel25d ago

Tell me about it. My whole backyard is useless now because of my neighbor's new security light. It's like a prison yard floodlight. I had to start hauling my gear to a small patch of grass on the side of my garage. Makes you wonder why they need that much light at two in the morning, right? A single bad light really is the worst kind of pollution.

elizabethj9925d ago

Ugh, that's so true! It's not just the big city glow, it's those pinpoint attacks. Like @michael_patel said, one security light can ruin a whole yard. I had a similar fight with a porch light across the street. I finally got up the nerve to talk to the neighbor, and they were cool about using a shield and a warmer bulb. Maybe a friendly chat could help? It's crazy how much we have to plan around these little light bombs.

the_phoenix13d ago

It's the same with noise (one loud party wrecks a quiet night for a whole block).