Interesting Map of Worldwide Light Pollution - YouLookFab Forum

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Interesting Map of Worldwide Light Pollution

texstyle

(website)

Veteran

This is a topic near and dear to my heart as I just hate light pollution and the negative impact it has on so many.

This map is so telling - I think it gives so much more information than just light pollution though (more lighting = more industrialization for example. You can zoom all the way into your specific area.

I was surprised by how little light pollution comes from some areas such as China for example where one might expect to see more. I suppose they have mastered the art of getting most of the population into a much smaller footprint.

http://darksitefinder.com/maps/world.html

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14 replies

Latest reply was from texstyle

Diana

Veteran

Oh wow, that's fascinating. I'm really perplexed by that big area of light pollution in Russia - I think that's Siberia, right? So not very populated...

texstyle

(website)

Veteran

Diana - I don't know much about that area so I looked up a couple of spots and found this:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nizhnevartovsk
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Muravlenko

Looks like oil producing regions.

texstyle

(website)

Veteran

Norilsk is the world's northernmost city with more than
175,000 inhabitants and the second largest city (after Murmansk) inside
the Arctic Circle.

Maybe Russia is producing more of something than we know?

JAileen

Veteran

This is really interesting. Thanks for sharing. It looks like we don't have electricity in our area.

Janet

(website)

Veteran

I love maps of all kinds, and this is fascinating to me as well.

When I was out in AZ/UT, I had a guide take me to a couple of remote locations for photography. On the way back to town on the first night (it was a two hour drive on 4WD roads), after the sky darkened, he stopped the vehicle and we all got out to take in the sight of the dense blanket of stars. The other passenger was from NYC, so he and I marveled at how many more stars you can see out in that area than we can see on the densely populated east coast.

I remember the first time I went out west, over 20 year ago -- I drove through Joshua Tree as the sun was going down, and after dark, I shut off the car and laid on the hood for a good half hour, just staring up at the incredible clear sky full of stars. I think that may have been the moment I fell in love with the desert.

texstyle

(website)

Veteran

I think I was 12 when I fell in love with the southwest Janet. My uncle took me and several cousins on a long road trip in his wood paneled wagon from the midwest out to California, camping along the way. I remember one spot in particular near Sedona, AZ where he topped the car, turned out the lights and we all got out -- it was so black you could not see your hand in front of your face. But the SKY!

Here we can still see the milky way and a pretty amazing sky, but it's becoming more and more light polluted each year. I wish more people cared about it the way some of us do.

Laurinda

Veteran

Cool map!

At least with light pollution it will disappear immediately if the lights are turned off -- unlike other contaminants.

Another interesting map shows quieter areas in the US.
National Park Service: Mapping Sound

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anne

Veteran

When we flew into Kathmandu last year I was surprised to see how little light such a densely populated city was giving off - but not really surprised because much of the time there is load sharing, meaning mains electricity isn't available all the time. The people we were sharing with had it for a few hours a day, and charged up everything then. The landlord did supply a bit more energy in addition to the mains, but it only was enough for some dim lighting.

rachylou

Veteran

What surprises me most is the eastern half of the US. The whole territory is smothered in light...

Janet

(website)

Veteran

I know, Rachylou! I'm right in the bright band you see that runs down from NYC to the western side of the Chesapeake, and I'm kind of amazed I can see as many stars at night as I do. But out in the desert, I got to see the view from one of those very clear areas, right on the AZ/UT border, and it was brilliant. I also remember it being exceptionally clear near Great Basin NP (Nevada) a few years ago when I did my cross country road trip.

Caro in Oz

Veteran

So interesting. Most Australians are costal dwellers so we have huge spaces that are dark. I've been lucky enough to experience many clear nights in some of these spaces, crossing The Nullarbor especially .

Jenn

(website)

Veteran

I feel lucky now, to be within an hour's drive of some dark locations. The amount of light pollution in the eastern half of the country is staggering.

anchie

Veteran

Last summer we took the overnight ferry to cross the Adriatic see from Croatia to Italy. I was amazed by darkness and beautiful night sky. Even though we book the cabin, I spent the night at the deck just looking at the stars. It was magic.

texstyle

(website)

Veteran

Many neighborhoods and some towns have "Dark Sky" initiatives and sometimes even rules regarding landscape and outdoor lighting. If you live in an area that does not, I strongly encourage you to try and get involved with your city/neighborhood assc. etc. and try to get them to adopt Dark Sky guidelines. Ours did and it is nice to have something to send to new neighbors if they don't comply. It's not like they get ticket, but it seems to help in that often they will change out their light fixtures, point them down or lower the wattage at min.