Campus Resources

On this page, i have included several resources that might be of use to students, faculty, staff, and administrators who are interested in developing a plan for improving the nighttime environment of their campus. The goal is to make the campus safer, more welcoming, aesthetically pleasing, whilst causing the least amount of environmental damage.

One way to get students involved is to involve them in quantifying the light sources on campus, and its effect on safety, aesthetics, and its environmental impact, including the impact on the night sky. Generally speaking, most people identify “light pollution” with sky glow, which in turn is interpreted “as the inability to see stars and constellations”. It is also very useful and instructive to make an explicit connection between the kinds of light fixtures and lights (intensity & color) one has on campus, versus either sky glow or direct glare.

Apart from experiencing these firsthand as a qualitative experience, it is also instructive to quantify the sources of outdoor lighting. Some level of outdoor lighting is, of course, necessary for safety and for aesthetics. However, it is worthwhile asking the following questions:


1) What purpose is a particular light serving?

2) Do the light fixtures and the light itself help serve this purpose?

3) Do the fixtures direct light only where it is needed, and not elsewhere?

4) Do the lights have the proper brightness and color?

5) Is it necessary for the lights to be “on” all night?

In order to answer some of these questions, one needs qualitative data. There are several tools one can use to “measure light”. Here, we list some readily available instruments that are relatively inexpensive and easy to use. Note that we are not necessarily listing instruments that give the most accurate measurements: the focus is on “reasonable accuracy” and ease of use. First, we list instruments that can help measure the brightness level and spectral quality of the light. We then list instruments that can help quantify the consequences of introducing artificial light at night (ALAN) into the nighttime campus environment.

Measuring Quality and Quantity of light sources

 

  • Hand held light meters: This device is used fairly commonly, for example, by electricians and power company personnel to measure lighting levels. It is capable of measuring in units of lux and footcandles. In my experience, it is relatively easy to use, and gives consistent results. It is also relatively inexpensive, with prices ranging from $50 to $100 (for example: Walfront LX1330B Illuminance meter). Higher end luxmeters can cost between $1,500 – $2500 (for example: Konica Minolta T-10A Illuminance light meter).

 

  • Opple Light Master (recommended by DarkSky International): The LM-III is helpful when determining whether existing light fixtures meet the provisions of a Lighting Management Plan or Light Management Policy and provide the necessary information to complete a Lighting Inventory table. At present, Color Correlated Temperature (CCT) is a required measurement that needs to be recorded for an International Dark Sky Place application. In the future, there may be a need to record data for illuminance and flicker, which the LM-III can also measure.

 

  • Unihedron Sky Quality Meter (SQM) (recommended by DarkSky International): Unihedron’s SQMs are used ubiquitously by dark sky advocates and amateur & professional astronomers to determine the quality of the night sky. The handheld, battery-operated version is a simple device to use and gives fairly consistent results over a wide range of sky brightness (light pollution) levels. The data from your SQM measurements can be submitted on the Globe at Night webpage. Additionally, you can download archival SQM data from locations across the entire world, see trends in sky brightness levels, and so on.

 

  • TESS-W Photometer: The TESS photometer has been built by teams in Spain, and contain an in-built cloud sensor. It runs on a 5V that can be supplied via a USB port. It uses the local wireless network to upload data onto the cloud, from where it is rendered into plots and data-tables that can be accessed through the TESS network webpage.

 

Activism on campus

 

 

 

 

Course Materials