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Tucson, Arizona uses sodium vapor lighting for all its street lighting specifically to allow the nearby observatories easily filter the light pollution.
by SoftwareMaven 14y ago
Tucson, Arizona uses sodium vapor lighting for all its street lighting specifically to allow the nearby observatories easily filter the light pollution.
- seanmcdirmid 14y agoI attended a conference in Tucson last fall and...being jetlagged, did a nice walk at 4AM in the desert behind our resort. It was really amazing, I hadn't seen shooting stars in decades.
- snowwrestler 14y agoIt's only a couple hours from Tucson to the Kitt Peak Observatory, where they have astronomy programs for the public. I talked my wife into doing it when we were there visiting friends last year. I highly recommend it. The astronomy is fairly basic, but the experience is incredible: You're up on a big mountain, surrounded by gigantic telescopes, in the middle of a vast desert wilderness. It's freezing cold outside after dark. When the program is over, you have to drive down the upper half of the mountain without headlights to protect the observations that are happening.
- SoftwareMaven 14y agoI went to scout camp in the Chiricahua mountains in SE Arizona and experienced the same thing. I'd sneak out if my tent at night to look at the night sky (until my scoutmaster chased a bear out of our camp...the guy was psycho!).
- _delirium 14y agoSimilar situation in San Jose, CA: http://mthamilton.ucolick.org/public/lighting/Cooperation2.html http://mthamilton.ucolick.org/public/lighting/Cooperation2.h...
- jisaacks 14y agoI grew up in Tucson, I do remember amazing stars at night. I also remember seeing an observatory on Mount Lemmon. Never made that connection tho.
- tanzam75 14y agoIt helps that sodium lights produce more lumens/watt than the alternatives.