Light Pollution Gallery

THE GOOD

Fully shielded fixtures direct light below the horizontal toward the ground. G1 is one of the standard "cobra head" aero luminaires fitted with a flat lens that prevents light from scattering sideways and upward, avoiding glare and improving the quality of lighting. Fitted with a LPS or HPS (sodium-yellow) lamp they are efficient and make a good choice for many kinds of outdoor lighting especially roadways. They generally require closer pole spacing for more even road coverage. Examples can be seen in some council areas especially in parts of Adelaide CBD where they are replacing older glarey fixtures.

G2 is the preferred flood light fixture for areas such as car yards and parking lots. Often fitted with less efficient mercury or metal-halide (white) lamp, the design however avoids glare and light trespass without compromising security.

THE BAD

These fixtures are fitted with a dome or cylindrical shaped lens that emit a substantial portion of their light uselessly sideways and upward creating glare, light trespass and sky glow. These fixtures are currently the standard on the state's arterial roads and many residential roads. B1 is the same kind of fixture as G1. However the dome shaped lens scatters some of the light inefficiently. They can easily be refitted with a flat lens as in G1 as some Councils have done to existing fixtures.

The "flower-pot" mercury vapour lamps (B2) are a very bad choice. They are pervasive in residential streets throughout the metropolitan area and are especially glarey, inefficient and costly to run (they have been outlawed in other countries). A far better choice would be a G1 fitted with a sodium lamp or metal halide lamp.

U1U2

THE UGLY

Intended to highlight advertising or "enhance" architecture, these light fixtures indiscriminately spray light everywhere. Billboard and business lighting, or lighting that is supposed to illuminate significant architecture as in U1, are often placed so that a substantial portion of the light completely misses its target and adds to the waste light and sky glow. Billboards should be illuminated from overhead light fixtures and buildings should be illuminated by carefully designed and aimed "spotlights". Both should be subject to curfews in late hours. Globe lights like those in U2 may look good in the daytime, but are very wasteful at night because most of their light goes sideways and up into the sky! They should never be used for street lighting. Efficient, alternative designs are available where aesthetic lighting is required.


ñ Fair While the lens on this arterial road HPS lamp was designed for wide road coverage it still emits glarey sidelight that dazzles motorists.	ñ Excellent Similar HPS lamp with flat "lens" that emits all its light downward creating excellent, well illuminated and glare reduced roadway.


ñ Bad This inefficient 80 watt "flower-pot" mercury street lamp emits considerable amount of side-light and up-light creating a harsh glare and adding to sky glow.	ñ Better This more efficient semi-cutoff 50 watt HPS street lamp with reduced sidelight is a better choice.


ñ Bad A cheap, inefficient, glarey halogen light in a Cheltenham car yard.	ñExcellent Quality full-cutoff fixture in a car park in Glenelg. Also seen in better car yards.


ñ Bad The same glarey halogen lights as above at night with excessive light spill creating a motoring hazard.	ñGood Smiths at Croydon use quality full cutoff floodlights that reduce glare and uplight.


ñ Bad Billboard illuminated from below loses light skyward wasting energy and adding to sky glow.	ñ Excellent Full-cutoff down-lights aesthetically illuminate sign with minimum glare and uplight


ñ Bad These globe lights at Charles Sturt Council car park spray wasteful amounts of light sideways and upwards.	ñExcellent Efficient glare-free down-lighting with box-floods. Also a good choice for car parks.


ñ Bad This virtually naked, unshielded "security light" flood light emits very bad and glarey side-light adding a hazard for passing motorists.	ñ Good Similar flood light light fitted with a hood that avoids annoying light trespass and reduces motoring hazards.


ñ Bad Light-trespass from this post-top HPS lamp has been painted out by annoyed residents in Henley Beach.	ñBetter Councils will shield light trespass, but usually at your cost. This light still emits wasteful side-light and up-light in the other directions.


ñ Bad No consideration was given to the aiming of this forward-throw light fixture at Transport SA Port Adelaide. The main beam is directed skyward!	ñExcellent Correct positioning of the same light fixtures properly illuminates the target area with no light emitted upwards.


ñ Bad Walkway post-top lantern fitted HPS lamp kills off old style charm emitting glarey sidelight.	ñExcellent New technology highly efficient LED lights in full cutoff fixtures create a glare-free, safe and pleasant ambient light.

ñExcellent Woolworths roadhouse has full-cutoff floods throughout - even at the air pump station at back . very little sidelight reduces glares and utilizes most of the light,	ñExcellent Kentucky Fried at Welland illuminate customer car park with low glare full-cutoff lights. Both exterior and interior lights are turned off at close of business at the small hours to save energy.

ñ Bad This unshielded flood light at a corner car sales yard emits glarey light far beyond the confines of the business premises, wasting light and...ð	...forcing residents across the road to install heavy duty window shutters. This kind of light pollution detracts from amenity and can easily be remedied with a quality full-cutoff floods and after-hours curfew.


ñExcellent Sport ground with tall full cut-off floods confines light to play area preventing widespread light spill and glare that would otherwise afflict the neighbourhood.	ñGood Standard BBQ light fitted with a homemade tin hood secured with a 10cm hose clamp. Avoids light trespass, glare and waste light.

G1 G2	THE GOOD Fully shielded fixtures direct light below the horizontal toward the ground. G1 is one of the standard "cobra head" aero luminaires fitted with a flat lens that prevents light from scattering sideways and upward, avoiding glare and improving the quality of lighting. Fitted with a LPS or HPS (sodium-yellow) lamp they are efficient and make a good choice for many kinds of outdoor lighting especially roadways. They generally require closer pole spacing for more even road coverage. Examples can be seen in some council areas especially in parts of Adelaide CBD where they are replacing older glarey fixtures. G2 is the preferred flood light fixture for areas such as car yards and parking lots. Often fitted with less efficient mercury or metal-halide (white) lamp, the design however avoids glare and light trespass without compromising security.
B1 B2	THE BAD These fixtures are fitted with a dome or cylindrical shaped lens that emit a substantial portion of their light uselessly sideways and upward creating glare, light trespass and sky glow. These fixtures are currently the standard on the state's arterial roads and many residential roads. B1 is the same kind of fixture as G1. However the dome shaped lens scatters some of the light inefficiently. They can easily be refitted with a flat lens as in G1 as some Councils have done to existing fixtures. The "flower-pot" mercury vapour lamps (B2) are a very bad choice. They are pervasive in residential streets throughout the metropolitan area and are especially glarey, inefficient and costly to run (they have been outlawed in other countries). A far better choice would be a G1 fitted with a sodium lamp or metal halide lamp.
U1U2	THE UGLY Intended to highlight advertising or "enhance" architecture, these light fixtures indiscriminately spray light everywhere. Billboard and business lighting, or lighting that is supposed to illuminate significant architecture as in U1, are often placed so that a substantial portion of the light completely misses its target and adds to the waste light and sky glow. Billboards should be illuminated from overhead light fixtures and buildings should be illuminated by carefully designed and aimed "spotlights". Both should be subject to curfews in late hours. Globe lights like those in U2 may look good in the daytime, but are very wasteful at night because most of their light goes sideways and up into the sky! They should never be used for street lighting. Efficient, alternative designs are available where aesthetic lighting is required.


An inspirational dark sky in a deep rural setting. View looking west with the constellation Scorpius setting.	Same view in a light polluted urban setting with unnecessary sky glow and glare from poorly designed and unshielded lamps.	Full cutoff fixtures direct light below the horizontal providing quality illumination with reduced sky glow, less glare and returning some stars to the sky.