NASA picture totaly off topic

[jnorv]

http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/image/0011/earthlights_dmsp_big.jpg

Jim N

[Vavoline]

Very Cool!

[MBM135]

This image has actually been circulating in the media for some time. It is a DMSP image on a near cloudless night--in the entire N. Hemisphere which is rare. It got this as an e-mail attachment from a friend even before the Columbia tragedy.

Note how sparse N. Korea is compared to South Korea. Some other intersting things like the population along the Nile river in Egypt. Pretty interesting really.

MM

[MBM135]

You can even see the lights of tiny Johnston Island 600 miles SW of Hawaii. having been to this tiny little island I am surprised it shows up.

[DrPyro]

There have been several generations of this picture published by NASA and to be honest it makes me sick. Besides audio, my other hobby is astronomy and the shear amount of light pollution is astronomical. With municipalities growing and installing more and more street lights, most with little regard for efficiency and light leakage, the problem has spread very quickly in the past 20 years or so. This is probably most obvious in the Midwest where cities have drooled of the concept of lights like Neanderthals ogling over fire. These cities and their residence think that they have to have every square inch of road lit as though it was daylight. However, its not just the cities, companies often feel that their building/parking lot needs to be extremely well lit even at 2 am. All one has to do is look at a street light or any other light when its slightly foggy or misting is to look at the direction that the light is shining. Most lights fixtures emit light over 200 degrees, how is any light being emitted skyward helping to light the street? A FULLY SHIELDED light fixture (which costs the same as a regular fixture) emits the light over 90 to 100 degrees to where it is wanted/needed. As we continue to grow as a nation, our insatiable thirst for all things electric will soon meet the generating capacities of our power stations. Without conservation at all levels, it has the potential for some very serious consequences. Just think about it, if we could reduce the power from street lights by 5% - 10%, how much power we could save and how much of our tax dollars are going to pay for that power.

To give an example, prior to my moving to Philadelphia, I lived in Kansas (15 miles outside of a city with 40,000 ppl). In Philly, I can barely see the constellation Orion and could easily count the number of stars observable stars and is probably around 50 or so. Even in Kansas, the light pollution was annoying, with approximately 1/4 to 1/3 of the sky heavily light polluted by this small Midwest town. A few years ago, a local insurance company built a new building towards the outskirts of town and heavily lit the exterior of the building and parking lot with high power mercury vapor lights (the one that give a blueish white light). They had the lights on ALL night long even though no one was there at 2 am. When the lights were on, the increase in light pollution was VERY observable from 15 miles away. Thankfully the residence that lived near the building created such a ruckus about the lights on all night long that the company agreed to turn them off at 10pm. It just goes to show just how little regard for conservation and light pollution there is in the US. Its no wonder we can't get school children interested in Astronomy and other sciences, since they can no longer see the stars and ask the questions, What, Why, How?

-Dave

[rowooo]

Head out to north central and western Nebraska! People flock there in the summers to experience the thrill of what an actual dark sky can offer.

[DrPyro]

Ahhhhh, , I have. But having lived in Kansas for 20 years, and traveled all over the US, I NEED trees and hills that are more then simply piles of dirt! If I want to live in a peaceful place free from all of the idiots of this world, I'll move to Colorado or Wyoming, WAY up in the mountains . The pure beauty and ruggidness of the mountains just seems to sooth any frayed nerves. There is only one minor problem with living out there....it would be a hell of a commute to go to see an orchestra .

mdeneen-

I can sympathize, my scope is packed away nicely at my folks place in Kansas. Every family gathering, I usually spend hours and hours starring at the stars and playing with the scope. BTW, what type of scope do you have? I have been drooling over one of those 12" computer driven scopes that I could setup with an CCD to take some new photographs. It just takes SOOOO long with "regular" film that any vibrations just ruins the image. Plus, I'm a techno gadget freak .

-Dave

[rowooo]

Piles of dirt?????? Come on now it's SAND! Have you ever been up around Valentine along the Niobrara? I think that area is beautiful

[DrPyro]

mdeneen-

Very nice scope, Mdeneen! I have a Celestron 8", everything manual. Yeah, the GOTO scopes are really cool. Like you said, they are a little too automated. I don't mind the technology with digital setting circles and database. But I can aim a scope by hand and it is fun (and hard) to find some objects, you definitely get a sense of accomplishment when you finally find the object. What I would like with my next scope is a computer controlled scope, Digital setting circles, position motors, and autoguider for CCD, the database would be optional. However, the database is a great way to look at new and interesting objects you would probably never have a chance to look, especially given our busy lifestyles.

Rowooo-

Come now rowooo, you really can't call them "hills", they just ain't that big!

Valentine, Nebraska....Nope, don't think I ever have. I mainly have spent time in the southern 1/2 of Nebraska.

-Dave