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Light Pollution in the ELT Context.

Light Pollution in the ELT Context. Malcolm G. Smith, AURA(O)/NOAO/CTIO IDA/IAU. The Dark Night Sky over Cerro Tololo (Courtesy Roger Smith, CTIO). The NOAO/GSMT “Sites” Project. Find Characterize Protect

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Light Pollution in the ELT Context.

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  1. Light Pollution in the ELT Context. Malcolm G. Smith, AURA(O)/NOAO/CTIO IDA/IAU Site Testing for E.L.T.s

  2. The Dark Night Sky over Cerro Tololo (Courtesy Roger Smith, CTIO). Site Testing for E.L.T.s

  3. The NOAO/GSMT “Sites” Project • Find • Characterize • Protect • Controlling Light Pollution World Wide – a joint effort of the IAU Commission 50, the IDA, the OPCC and NOAO/CTIO Site Testing for E.L.T.s

  4. The World at Night (W.T.Sullivan 1989, based on photographic data). The only natural light is that of the Aurora Borealis. Europe and the United States are each sending more than a billion dollars per year of wasted energy into the sky. Site Testing for E.L.T.s

  5. Sites/Nests for the OWL, GSMT, CELT…? • Mauna Kea and South-West (USA) • San Pedro Martir (Mexico); La Palma (Spain); Northern Chile; Chirripo (Costa Rica) • Maidanak (Uzbekistan) • Gamsberg etc. (Namibia) • World-wide approach necessary. We will illustrate, mainly using Chile as an example. Site Testing for E.L.T.s

  6. Northern Chile Regions II, III & IV is one of a few areas with low cloud cover (Erasmus). Others may include Mexico, La Palma, Costa Rica, Namibia, Uzbekistan and Hawai’I. Site Testing for E.L.T.s

  7. Site Testing for E.L.T.s The largest telescope in the world, the ESO/VLT in Chile’s IInd Region, is already on the edge of being affected by light pollution.

  8. Magellan, IIIrd Region Site Testing for E.L.T.s

  9. Gemini South, Cerro Pachon, IVth Region Site Testing for E.L.T.s

  10. Centers of artificial light. Uncalibrated DMSP-OLS satellite image covering the southern III region (Magellan) and the IVth region (Gemini South, La Silla, SOAR, Tololo). Site Testing for E.L.T.s

  11. Watch for mines in this prime, cloud-free region. Copiapo has installed 7000 new FCO fixtures, fabricated by a Chilean company to comply with the “Norma” DS686 Site Testing for E.L.T.s

  12. First World Atlas of the Artificial Night-Sky Brightness. • http://arxiv.org/abs/astroph/0108052 (MNRAS) • Cinzano, Falchi and Elvidge. • Radiance calibrated, HR DMSP + modeling of light propagation in the atmosphere. • DOE population database. • 99% US pop. Under polluted skies. • 2/3 US pop/20% world – lost Milky Way. Site Testing for E.L.T.s

  13. The First World Atlas of the Artificial Night-Sky Brightness (Cinzano et al.), based on Calibrated DMSP-OLS satellite data. http://www.lightpollution.it/dmsp/ F Site Testing for E.L.T.s

  14. Europe, 1996-1997. Zenith artificial night-sky brightness at sea level (V-band). Cinzano et al. 2000,MNRAS,318,654,(2000) Site Testing for E.L.T.s

  15. Europe, 2025. Zenith artificial night-sky brightness at sea level. Courtesy P. Cinzano Site Testing for E.L.T.s

  16. Contrasts in light pollution. Courtesy Cinzano et al. World Atlas. http://www.lightpollution.it/dmsp/ Site Testing for E.L.T.s

  17. Uzbekistan Caspian Sea Islamabad Kabul New Delhi Masqat Saudi Oil Fields Bombay Site Testing for E.L.T.s

  18. Uzbekistan Site Testing for E.L.T.s

  19. La Palma Site Testing for E.L.T.s

  20. Johannesburg Namibia Site Testing for E.L.T.s

  21. Windhoek Namibia is pretty dark…. Site Testing for E.L.T.s

  22. Namibia Site Testing for E.L.T.s

  23. S.W. USA is going fast… Baja California still looks pretty dark…. Extracted from Cinzano et al. World Atlas.http://www.lightpollution.it/dmsp/ Site Testing for E.L.T.s …. But Costa Rica is going too….

  24. Chile needs to pay attention to preserving its dark-sky heritage. Extracted from Cinzano et al. World Atlas http://www.lightpollution.it/dmsp/ Site Testing for E.L.T.s

  25. Fishing-fleets are seen here, off Japan and near Malacca Extracted from Cinzano et al. World Atlas. http://www.lightpollution.it/dmsp/ Site Testing for E.L.T.s

  26. Antofagasta Chajnantor Copiapo Serena/Coquimbo Santiago Extracted from Cinzano et al. World Atlas. http://www.lightpollution.it/dmsp/ Site Testing for E.L.T.s

  27. Prime areas for action (Sarazin) • Northern Chile, Mexico, La Palma, Costa Rica. • Mauna Kea (and South-West USA - CELT?) • Maidanak (Uzbekistan) • Gamsberg etc., (Namibia) • Needs second epoch – access to DMSP archive (tapes) no longer being supported by NOAA. • Cinzano’s finances depend on IDA and other private enterprises. Site Testing for E.L.T.s

  28. Actions in progress • Chile – OPCC http://www.opcc.cl • Norma Luminica DS686 II, III, IVth regions • II: Mining. III: Copiapo IV: Cruz. • Hawaii? IDA. http://www.darksky.org • Mexico? IDA in Tucson. Can use spanish-language OPCC and OTPC (Canaries) sites http://www.iac.es/proyect/otpc/law.htm Site Testing for E.L.T.s

  29. Facing today’s reality in Chile. Adapted from Cinzano, Falchi and Elvidge, MNRAS, 323, 34 (2001) Cerro Mamalluca Municipal Observatory: Sky & Tel, Feb 2001, p91. Vicuna: Site of current, competitive experiments in FCO street lighting. Gemini South & SOAR on Cerro Pachon Site Testing for E.L.T.s

  30. Local Actions in Progress - the IVth Region as an experiment. • La Serena • Coquimbo • Vicun~a • http://www.ctio.noao.edu/light_pollution/iau50/ • Outreach – Red LaSer, Mamalluca. • “Norma Luminica”DS686 – Enforcement – S.E.C. Site Testing for E.L.T.s

  31. The “Canary in the Mine” for light pollution – Cerro Tololo, IVth Region. Site Testing for E.L.T.s

  32. Unfiltered, maximum-contrast CCD image looking towards La Serena and Coquimbo. Site Testing for E.L.T.s Courtesy, Roger Smith, CTIO

  33. US$1M has streamed uselessly into the sky over La Serena and Coquimbo since late 1993. Photograph from Cerro Grande in ~1998 by Maxime Boccas (Gemini), compressed laterally by MGS Site Testing for E.L.T.s

  34. Site Testing for E.L.T.s

  35. Compare several times with the next slide. Site Testing for E.L.T.s Courtesy Roger Smith/CTIO

  36. Site Testing for E.L.T.s Taken ~4h after previous slide Courtesy Roger Smith, CTIO

  37. Site Testing for E.L.T.s Living on the edge of light pollution – Gemini South. CCD image by Roger Smith, CTIO. (Naturally-occurring) bright OH bands can be seen in this image of a cloudless sky.

  38. An Experiment in Controlling Light Pollution for the ELTs - a Closer Look at Chile’s IVth Region Site Testing for E.L.T.s

  39. Site Testing for E.L.T.s

  40. La Cruz del Tercer Milenio, Coquimbo. Site Testing for E.L.T.s

  41. Mall parking lot, La Serena – turning the light downwards where it is needed. Site Testing for E.L.T.s

  42. Before and after at the parking lot in La Serena. Still horrible, but a considerable improvement for everybody. Site Testing for E.L.T.s

  43. State-of-the-art parking-lot lighting, Mall Plaza, LaSerena. Site Testing for E.L.T.s

  44. Avenida de Las Delicias, Vicun~a. These downward-pointing lights replaced incandescent globes. Vicun~a will gradually replace these new lamps with FCO fixtures. Site Testing for E.L.T.s

  45. The Avenida del Mar has ~500 400-watt fixtures, 3 per pole. Here at 3am they are lighting the sky and 4th-floor bedrooms - whose occupants would have liked some sleep. (Courtesy Gustavo Arriagada). Site Testing for E.L.T.s

  46. Evitando La Contaminacion Luminica Ilumine el suelo - no el cielo…. Site Testing for E.L.T.s

  47. END Site Testing for E.L.T.s

  48. Nice, safe lighting? …. Site Testing for E.L.T.s

  49. He’s standing in front of the pole… Uniform lighting is safer than this glare Site Testing for E.L.T.s

  50. Modeling effects of altitude and shielding. Site Testing for E.L.T.s

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