bringing back the night sky: lighting in toronto parks

Bringing back the Night Sky:

Lighting In Toronto Parks

Peter Hiscocks, RASC12 August 2010

The Royal Astronomical Society of Canada (RASC)

Mandate: to stimulate interest and increase knowledge in astronomy

29 Centres across Canada

4000 members, 700 in the Toronto Centre

2 Meetings per month, 2 sky observing sessions, activities at the David Dunlap Observatory

The Great Blackout, August 2003

Photo credit Todd Carlson, Goodwood ON Photo credit Todd Carlson, Goodwood ON

Light Pollution Map

Toronto at Night

Skyglow over Calgary

What can you see?

Solar Observing

Active Sun

Evening Observing

Toronto parks are an excellent venue for viewing the night sky.

Accessible by the public, safe, good sight lines....

...except for the problem of obtrusive light and glare

Lighting Issues

Glare from unshielded fixtures: Top-Hat and Wall-Pack

Unattended and unshielded sports lighting

Car headlights

Withrow Park Soccer Field

Withrow Park Soccer Field

'Top Hat' Light Standard

Top Hat Light Standard

Withrow Park Glare Problem

Defining Glare

Glare: contrast lowering effect of stray light in a visual scene.

Glare forms a veil of luminance which reduces the contrast and thus decreases the visibility of a target. We cannot see intensity differences efficiently in the presence of a high background of light intensity.

The sensitivity to glare is amplified with age as scattering in cornea or lens increases.

Solution

Full-cutoff fixture that directs light downward

Boardwalk Lamp

Boardwalk Lamp Coverage

Wall Pack Problem Light

Wall-Pack Problem Light

Wall-Pack Problem Light

Wall-Pack Problem Light

Colonel Samuel Smith Park

Colonel Samuel Smith Park

Full Cut-off Illuminators of the Night

Energy efficient too!Energy efficient too!

Unattended/Unshielded Sports Lighting

Withrow Park Skating Rink

Rink Night Shot: No People

Rink Night Shot

Beach Pool Lighting

Beach Pool Fixture Closeup

Beach Pool Lighting

Chicago Study on Lighting and Crime

Recommendations

High Park Proposed Viewing Site

High Park Baseball Diamond

High Park Baseball Diamond

High Park Recommendations

Control baseball lighting with vegetation barrier

Add shielding to Tennis Court lights

Replace Wall-Packs with cutoff fixtures

High Park Recommendations

Withrow Park Viewing Sites

Withrow Park Recommendations

Replace 'Top-Hat' fixtures with full-cutoff

Extinguish arena lamps when not being used

Marie-Curtis Viewing Site

Marie-Curtis Recommendations

Replace 'Top-Hat' fixtures with full-cutoff

Berm or foliage between parking lot and observing site

Avoid Wall-Packs in building resdesigns

Overview and Summary

Park lighting is a mix: some effective, some problematic

Energy efficiency and light pollution can be reduced with modified or new fixtures

With minor fixes, parks could become much more hospitable to public sky observing activities

The Payoff

Hundreds of Torontonians get an introduction to the night sky.

Parks and Rec credited for first 'Urban sky park' areas in North America.

Aligns with Parks Canada, 12 dark sky preserves