The growing threat of light pollution to ground-based observatories

Abstract

Human activity is rapidly increasing the negative impact of artificial skyglow at even the most remote professional observatory sites. Assessment of the actual impact requires an understanding of the propagation as a function of source spectral energy distribution. The higher blue content of light-emitting diodes being widely used as replacement for sodium discharge lamps has greater impact closer to the source, and less impact for more distant mountain-top sites. All-sky cameras with moderate angular resolution provide data and metrics sufficient to model and remove celestial contributions and provide measures of artificial light contribution. The natural skyglow is significantly affected by solar activity, which must be accounted for in determining secular trends in the artificial component. With the availability of the New World Atlas of the Artificial Sky Brightness, a direct comparison is made of the modeled artificial contribution to the sites with the largest aperture telescopes, noting the possible systematic errors in individual cases. Population growth of the nearest urban centers allows a prediction of the change in that brightness over a decade. All site protections are effected primarily by national or regional regulation. A collection of worldwide regulations shows that most are leveraged off environmental protection statutes, while in the U.S., they are largely based on land-use zones. Particular examples are presented in more detail for Flagstaff, Arizona, and the Island of Hawai’i. The latest rapidly growing threat is that of reflected sunlight from large constellations of satellites in low-earth orbit. A snapshot is provided of that rapidly changing situation. In all cases, astronomers must become very proactive in educating the public about the cultural value of visual or naked eye astronomy as well as the science and the need for access to a dark night sky for astronomical research.