Outdoor Lighting

Sky Friendly Light Bulbs?

Fri, 15 Jun 2007 17:56:34 GMT

I know what you're thinking.... how in the world can a light bulb be friendly? I understand how fixtures can be sky friendly by reigning in the light created by a light bulb, but a sky friendly light bulb? Well... that was my first thought, too.
Interestingly, there are a pair of sky friendly light bulbs recently introduced by Bulbrite. The bulbs, which are energy efficient compact fluorescents, come with their own 'light shades'. These integral light shades control the direction that the light they emit can travel. They come in two flavors, universal (pictured left) and base-up (pictured right). Base up is similar to some existing light shades, with the exception that it comes with its own bulb. This fits in any fixture where the bulb screws up into the base... hence 'base-up'. Universal can go in these types of fixtures as well, but its really designed to go into a fixture where the bulb screws down into the socket. These types of lights have prior to this time, been impossible to shade. The shade does not make this 100% night sky friendly, but it does contain much of the light, and is a huge improvement considering that lights that make use of this could not be controlled at all... leaving them sending most of the light they emitted up into the night sky. With the Universal light shade in place, now, even these horribly performing fixtures are tolerable.

Copper Lights

Tue, 05 Jun 2007 14:39:55 GMT

Demand for copper lights is exploding this year. Homes and businesses just can't get enough of this timeless material. What's behind this renewed popularity? Lets take a quick look.

Copper is a natural material that has been used by civilizations throughout history because it has been readily available. In today's homes copper coordinates nicely with granite, stone and various woods.

Copper is incredibly durable. Copper simply will not rust. Its only acknowledgment of the elements is the "patina" that changes its color through the years. If you've ever purchased cheap fixtures that looked nice when they were installed.... only to watch them deteriorate after the first storm... you'll really enjoy the lifetime of performance you'll get from copper lights.

Tags: copper light fixtures, outdoor lights, exterior lighting

Outdoor Lighting Resources

Tue, 21 Nov 2006 13:09:22 GMT

There has been a lot of energy expended on the light pollution control front lately. A large number of websites now focus on or at least have sections discussing proper outdoor lighting. Here are a few that I've been visiting lately.
1) The International Dark Sky Association
2) Light Pollution Information
3) Light Pollution Education
4) A Guide To Proper Outdoor Lighting
5) BriteLitesOut.com
6) The Lighting Police
7) Outdoor Lighting
8) Del.icio.us
9) Astro-Blogging
10) High Country News
11) Spaceweather.com
12) Utah Skies
13) JPL's Astronomy Resources
14) Sea Turtle-Friendly Lighting
These really just scratch the surface, but by visiting, reading and implementing whats to be learned from these sites, people can understand the problem of light pollution and how really simple it is to solve.

Tags: astronomy, night sky

IDA Annual Meeting March 2007, Tucson

Wed, 17 Jan 2007 00:10:24 GMT

Join us March 4–6, 2007 at the Doubletree at Reid Park in Tucson, Arizona and discover new tools in lighting design for a sustainable future. Become part of the discussion about sustainability and how it relates to dark skies. Meet with lighting experts and night sky activists to learn how you can improve the lights at your home or in your community

Tags: light pollution, outdoor lighting, environment, global warming, sustainability

Courtsider XL - Full Cutoff Tennis Lighting

Fri, 07 Jul 2006 13:13:37 GMT

Checkout this sweet full cutoff tennis light offered by the folks at Starry Night Lights (www.StarryNightLights.com). Its part of their growing collection of night sky friendly sports lighting fixtures. Manufactured by LSI Lighting Solutions, the Courtsider XL is designed to meet the toughest outdoor lighting ordinances. The Courtsider XL, a sharp cutoff luminaire, is specifically designed to meet the unique needs of tennis court lighting. This luminaire’s Forward Throw reflector system projects light only onto the court area, avoiding glare. For aesthetic purposes, the The Courtsider XL features a soft profile, complementing the design of today’s tennis facilities, and a choice of colors to blend easily into the tennis court environment.

Resorts, country clubs, apartment and condominium complexes, hotels and private residences are typical installations for LSI Lighting Solutions Courtsider XL…the tennis court fixture with distinctive styling and lighting control excellence. If you're into "the game", you should make sure that your outdoor lights are up to the task.

As you'd expect, you can find this gorgeous, dark sky friendly outdoor light in the sports lighting section of your favorite outdoor lighting retailer, Starry Night Lights!

Recessed Lighting

Mon, 16 Oct 2006 17:34:45 GMT

Here's another way to be night sky friendly, recessed lighting. Recessed lights are embedded up inside you soffits (roof overhang). This placement essentially means that these lights have no choice by to shine down onto the ground below. This little beauty comes from the folks at Sea Gull Lighting. Shown here is the SGL-9424. This low voltage light fixture will illuminate the area beneath it without lighting up the night sky or the rest of the neighborhood. As is typical of the outdoor fixtures offered by Starry Night Lights, up lighting and light trespass are virtually eliminated. These are two of the prime manifestations of light pollution.

You can find this clever, night sky friendly light fixture at your favorite outdoor lighting store, Starry Night Lights!

Are you tired of all the bad lighting you see in your area? You can make a difference. Show your support for Starry Nights by helping to spread the word!

Light Pollution Resources

Tue, 26 Sep 2006 02:22:02 GMT

More and more light pollution resources are popping up on the internet. It seems that night sky activists just won't take no for an answer. Finally, the mainstream media are paying attention too. Educating the public about light pollution is almost a full time job, but the cost of not doing so is even higher. Global warming, resource depletion and an orangy sky devoid of stars is what lies ahead if we do nothing.
If you'd hate for this to continue... and would like to make a change.. .why not help to support Starry Nights!

Post Top Lighting From Minka Lavery

Fri, 11 Aug 2006 16:53:02 GMT

Here's a beautiful post top fixture from the folks at Minka Lavery. Shown here is the MIN-8106-138. This sleek, hammered brass post top light will provide you with as much light as other post mounted fixtures without all the vision robbing glare typically produced by the brass & glass crowd. As is typical of the outdoor lights offered by Starry Night Lights, you can't see the light bulb virtually eliminating up lighting and light trespass, two of the prime manifestations of light pollution.

You can find this gorgeous, dark sky friendly post top light at your favorite store for outdoor lights, Starry Night Lights!

Diggs on Outdoor Lighting & Light Pollution

Thu, 10 Aug 2006 15:47:28 GMT

I found a number of great new resources lately. Digg (www.Digg.com), Gather, Del.icio.us, Gather to name just a few.. Many people are making use of it, though many, many more are unaware of its existance. Essentially, you share interesting web content by Digging it. This flags the content for others of similar interest to find, and so creates a kind of viral network. I've been digging articles on outdoor lighting and light pollution lately, hoping to use this venue to spread the word to a wider audience. Other night sky activists are doing the same. If you're just looking for information, these are great resources. If you take the issue a bit more seriously, you might consider consider how you can add your voice to the growing clamour to end light pollution.

Deseret News Focuses on Starry Skies

Tue, 08 Aug 2006 01:27:08 GMT

I came across a very cool article in the Deseret News dealing with light pollution. I think its great when the mainline papers pick up on a topic near and dear to my heart. Its a chance for a much broader audience to learn about light pollution. All in all, I think the article was nicely written and informative. This is typical of writer Joe Bauman who generally nails his articles. Joe has done several other astronomy & light pollution articles in recent years.