Behold, SE Oregon: https://www.lightpollutionmap.info/#zoom=7.67&lat=43.0350&lo...
One of the best places in the country for dark, clear skies.
Light Pollution Map
121–130 of 200 posts
Re: Light Pollution Map
#122Is it a rendering artifact or something, that the left half of the United States is entirely darker than the right half? Like a line was drawn down the middle.
Nope, just that the western US is less densely populated than the eastern side of the country and that is directly reflected in the amount of light pollution.
Re: Light Pollution Map
#123Is it a rendering artifact or something, that the left half of the United States is entirely darker than the right half? Like a line was drawn down the middle.
Nope, if you look at a population density map it has the same line. I'm not at all sure why that's true, geographically.
Re: Light Pollution Map
#124Is it a rendering artifact or something, that the left half of the United States is entirely darker than the right half? Like a line was drawn down the middle.
Re: Light Pollution Map
#125I really like that site. Have used it multiple times to find dark spots for photographing the milky way. However, I don't understand why the default overlay is from 2015, when there is newer data available. First thing I usually do is switching to the most recent overlay.
There are VIIRS maps and World Atlas 2015 map. They show fundamentally different things. VIIRS shows you sources of light pollution while World Atlas shows you how these sources of light impact the sky above you.
Re: Light Pollution Map
#126Does this tool take into account elevation? The Mt. Wilson observatory, for instance, being on the outskirts of LA, is in a red zone on that map, yet is still a great place to stargaze. Not that this map isn't useful and insightful, but perhaps it can make things seem worse than they really are? As long as you have mountains around you, it's not like you can't go there to see the stars with the naked eye. Last year,…
World Atlas 2015 model accounts for elevation. So locations with higher elevation are darker. But it doesn't account for obstacles like a mountain range shielding you from a city behind it.
Re: Light Pollution Map
#127Behold, SE Oregon: https://www.lightpollutionmap.info/#zoom=7.67&lat=43.0350&lo... One of the best places in the country for dark, clear skies.
I'd like to get out there sometime. Even class 2 is really good for me, so we drive one once or twice a year and camp at brooks memorial state park north of goldendale. Easy to reach, has amenities nearby, still very dark. It has a good convenience/dark ratio for people coming from Portland.
Re: Light Pollution Map
#128Is the light pollution in the North Sea really that intense? How about the Grand Banks off Atlantic Canada / Newfoundland? Are these due to oil platforms? I find it hard to believe that the light pollution at the head of the Grand Banks, almost 200km off shore, is equivalent to the the metro area of St. John's, nearby.
Yeah, the oil fields seem insanely bright relative to cities. I wonder if this has something to do with the sensor spectral sensitivity or something...
Re: Light Pollution Map
#129It's not like nothing can be done about light pollution. For example Germany has a law about light pollution, and it shows on this map. It less polluted than its neighbours, although it has higher population density and urbanization level.
Lord knows if I were emperor or whatever, I would have some fairly draconian laws on the books, with hefty fines, about so many light sources. I can walk around at night and read a paper books. It's easy. Some places, I feel like the going standard is "can someone perform open heart surgery on this stretch of road?" A lot of it is a race to the bottom -- look at my sign! Sure, my business is not open right now, but I…
One of my particularly patriotic neighbors has a big US flag atop a pole in his front yard. And he's following flag code, making sure that since he leaves it up at night it is properly lit. With a couple great big floodlights aimed straight up at it from the ground.
Re: Light Pollution Map
#130Earlier quoted context omitted.
Wow amazing! I've been itching to show my kids the Milky Way. I myself have only seen it once in New Zealand decades ago. What is the minimum dark sky rating to be able to see it with the naked eye? I live in the Bay Area and I know there is Pigeon Point Lighthouse which is a dark sky spot but I think it's often cloudy. If anyone has better suggestions would be grateful to hear those.
I don't think these maps take into account mountains. There are rest stops on 280 (just south of 92) that (at least used to) host telescope parties: https://maps.app.goo.gl/vWEkH1bSvaUZKZHS8 . You can definitely see the Milky Way from there, but remember it'll take 30 minutes to acclimate your eyes: tell your kids to stay off their phones (!). You're behind the San Andreas range to block out a lot of the peninsula li…
World Atlas 2015 model accounts for elevation. So locations with higher elevation are darker. But it doesn't account for obstacles like a mountain range shielding you from a city behind it.