Mercury Vapor Sky

[John Donne]

12/27/2021
Nikon D810
18mm Lens
ISO 1600
f3.5
4.3 sec

[messier 111]

very very nice , thx .

[Makuser]

Hi Mark. It is so sad but true. And the newer Sodium Vapor lights are just as bad only they project a yellow light into the sky. Thanks for the great example of this light pollution in your photo Mark and maybe someday we will solve this problem.
https://www.darksky.org/

[John Donne]

Hi Mark. It is so sad but true. And the newer Sodium Vapor lights are just as bad only they project a yellow light into the sky. Thanks for the great example of this light pollution in your photo Mark and maybe someday we will solve this problem.
https://www.darksky.org/

I kinda like it out here in the wide open spaces Marshall.
We call it light polution but it is not polution.

It is light...

[AstroBee]

A lot of unnecessary light pollutes the night skies. I wish every community/town/city would take a lesson from what Flagstaff, AZ has done. They have several major working observatories in the vicinity so they have light pollution ordinances on board that prevent a good bit of it. All outdoor night lights are shielded, directing the light DOWN towards the ground where it's needed and outdoor business signs are made in a way that prevents much of the light from going UP. Any business that is closed at night has to turn its lights off.
With the newer full spectrum LED lighting that is starting to be introduced in roadway lighting, full cutoff shields are even more important. These newer LED lights can't be eliminated with a light pollution filter like the older Mercury and Sodium vapor lights.

[Thefatkitty]

Mark, that is so awesome, the whole wide FOV with the clouds lit up from below, and the stars above... Just beautiful. I hear Marshall on the LP, but such a serene setting and a stunning shot. I'd personally frame that.

I seriously gotta make the drive to Illinois, only 10 hours away...

BTW, I talked to UPS a minute ago, PM forthcoming...

[John Donne]

A lot of unnecessary light pollutes the night skies. I wish every community/town/city would take a lesson from what Flagstaff, AZ has done. They have several major working observatories in the vicinity so they have light pollution ordinances on board that prevent a good bit of it. All outdoor night lights are shielded, directing the light DOWN towards the ground where it's needed and outdoor business signs are made in a way that prevents much of the light from going UP. Any business that is closed at night has to turn its lights off.
With the newer full spectrum LED lighting that is starting to be introduced in roadway lighting, full cutoff shields are even more important. These newer LED lights can't be eliminated with a light pollution filter like the older Mercury and Sodium vapor lights.

I do understand this.

I do not think I would have gotten started in this activity if I lived in a large metro area.

I tried to view in Elgin Illinois in my brothers back yard. If I had not been running a go-to mount I would not have been able to navigate.

So yes... Marshall is correct...light polution.

But I did not photograph this light as a criticism of the light or the farmer who is using it.

I was photographing that evening what I saw as a beautiful sky. It is not a sky in which one would conveniently practice astrohotography...but then again I was able to capture some nice stars.

I am fornunate to have a "dark site" 30 minutes away from which I observe. This image was taken on my way back from that site.

It is nice that cities consider those big observatories.

[John Donne]

Mark, that is so awesome, the whole wide FOV with the clouds lit up from below, and the stars above... Just beautiful. I hear Marshall on the LP, but such a serene setting and a stunning shot. I'd personally frame that.

I seriously gotta make the drive to Illinois, only 10 hours away...

BTW, I talked to UPS a minute ago, PM forthcoming...

You are WELCOME here any time Mark. I have accomodations for all of you. Seriously...any time !

And thank you for your encouraging comment on the "skyview"

[Thefatkitty]

You are WELCOME here any time Mark. I have accomodations for all of you. Seriously...any time !

And thank you for your encouraging comment on the "skyview"

No problem, love that pic and also; thank you but careful what you wish for buddy, it might happen next summer

It would be fun to have a "Woodstock" event where we all got together and met each other in person. OK, so who's got the farmland??

All the best,

[Juno16]

That is really a beautiful photo Mark!

Yeah, it is lighting, but it is really a beautiful area. You are fortunate to live in such a beautiful place!

[pakarinen]

I do not think I would have gotten started in this activity if I lived in a large metro area.

I hear that. I doubt I would have ever started as a kid if I hadn't been living under B4 skies with B2-B3 just a short distance away.

I tried to view in Elgin Illinois in my brothers back yard. If I had not been running a go-to mount I would not have been able to navigate.

Welcome to my world - I'm not far from there. Mag 3 stars is as good as it gets, as in, "What Little Dipper?"

I was photographing that evening what I saw as a beautiful sky. It is not a sky in which one would conveniently practice astrohotography...but then again I was able to capture some nice stars.

I think it's a great shot.

[John Donne]

@pakarinen

Thank you Pakarinen.
The Penfield site at its best, so far as I have experienced, is a high B4. It has potential for B3.
The trouble here is the humidity in the air and the heat coming off the cornfields at night in the summer. I can judge the transparency quality of the sky to some extent by observing the reach of the light dome from Rantoul. Highest quality has NO light dome.
Usually the middle fall, after harvest dust has cleared, has some nice clear stable skies and I enjoy this if the temp does not drop too low. My buddy and I used always to keep each other going for long outings of viewing and astrophotography.
It is amazing to me how my tolerance for cold and endurance of energy has diminished over the last 4 years.

Clear skies to you.

[Greenman]

I would rate this as a classical Nightscape, so we may frown at the effect, but beauty is in the eye of the beholder.