Restoring Darkness

Peter comes to us from Casambi, so naturally this one is all about controls. Now don’t glaze over all you astronomers and astrotourists, this is important. This is how we get to restore our night sky and still have the light at night that we need. Peter tells Michael and Mark that he has been involved in a project where a developer actually WANTED to give street light control to the end-user - the people with homes on the street. Mark likes the idea that people who need brighter light can turn up a parking lot lamp temporarily that will then return to its dim state which is good for the people who are sensitive to bright LED lights. Could controls help us get it under control? Prior to his 20 year career of leading teams and driving revenue in the lighting manufacturing and controls industry, Peter worked in software. It was this distinctive blend of experiences that fueled his passion for harnessing technology for innovative problem-solving—a passion he now brings to Casambi. 

Highlights from this episode:
 - Certifying Campgrounds
 - A First for Wales
 - Darkness Events
 - A Bother in Bisei

Sponsored by Evluma
https://evluma.com/dark-sky-friendly-lighting/

Intro and outro music by Doctor Turtle

Headlines and Sources
DSI Launches Approved Lodging Program
https://darksky.org/news/pack-your-bags-the-darksky-approved-lodging-program-is-now-live/

Jonestown, TX Recognized as a Dark Sky Community
https://darksky.org/news/jonestown-becomes-texass-ninth-international-dark-sky-community/

Presteigne and Norton are Wales' First Dark Sky Community
https://news.yahoo.com/powys-street-lights-off-wales-184206450.html

Dynamic Lighting in ICU Reduces Delirium Symptoms
https://medicaldialogues.in/critical-care/news/modified-icu-design-integrating-dynamic-lighting-system-may-reduce-delirium-severity-122743

National Institutes of Health Studies Finds Genome Associations in Sleep Latency in Fruit Flies
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-023-50552-z#Sec7


Bordeaux Deputy Mayor: Your Fear of the Dark is on You
https://newsrnd.com/news/2024-01-11-turning-off-the-lights-at-night--%22this-black--it-freaks-me-out%22----one-year-on--mixed-results-in-bordeaux.SkeuOs7TOT.html

Cornelius, NC May Lift Ban on Year-Round String Lights
https://www.corneliustoday.com/light-news-day/

Davis, CA Debates Uplight for Trees
https://www.davisenterprise.com/news/city-seeks-community-feedback-on-downtown-tree-lighting-options/article_67982c54-a9a9-11ee-8bd3-63cf4f3fc78b.html

Tarup Dark Sky Fest Sets Date
https://www.kunstrumfyn.dk/about-trup-dark-sky

Powhatan State Park in VA Begins Saturday Under the Stars Program 
https://www.romulans.net/2024/01/10/marvel-at-the-night-sky-during-saturday-under-the-stars-at-powhatan-state-park-katelyn-harlow-wric-abc-8news/

Belfast Starlings Return to Murmurate, Despite Light Pollution Worries
https://twitter.com/BBCNewsNI/status/1744610357606322448

Bisei, Japan’s Bright Neighbors
https://arxiv.org/abs/2312.12812

More and more satellites are going to obstruct the view for astronomers, but as Jo Marchant points out, it will also affect the cultural, spiritual and psychological aspects for everyone when they don’t have a clear view of the stars. Jo explains, in her book, The Human Cosmos: Civilisation and the Stars, how it is evident from ancient cave drawings that early man used the stars to mark the passage of time. She argues that the invention of mechanical clocks meant that we no longer needed to look to the sun and stars to mark time. So take off your watch, put away your phone, cover your digital clock and just take in the majesty of the stars. Jo Marchant is a New York Times bestselling author and speaker. Her writing explores the nature of humanity and our universe, from the mind-body connection to the mysteries of past civilisations and the awesome power of the night sky. 

Highlights from this episode:

 - Debunk the Blue?
 - Protein Possibilities
 - DLC LUNA 1.0a
 -Rudolph’s Rhythms

Sponsored by Evluma
https://evluma.com/dark-sky-friendly-lighting/

Intro and outro music by Doctor Turtle

Diane has been to Mars. That is, she crewed the Mars Desert Research Station in Utah. It was there she turned her attention to Dark Sky advocacy. Diane is a lecturer in the Department of Physics at Carnegie Mellon University and the Department of Physics and Astronomy at the University of Pittsburgh. Lucky for Pittsburgh, Diane is helping to guide the city’s street light conversion to LED by, among other things, convincing astronauts aboard the ISS to take photos of Pittsburgh before, during, and after the conversion. Diane Turnshek bonus fun fact: the Dung Beetle uses the light of the Milky way to roll its little ball of dung in a straight line. Diane has earned an International Dark Sky Association’s Defender Award. She has given over one hundred light pollution talks including one for TEDxPittsburgh, curated a series of space art galleries, and founded the Pennsylvania Chapter of the International Dark-Sky Association. In 2019, she edited the genre anthology Triangulation: Dark Skies with twenty-one starry night short stories. She has been interviewed by the New York Times, PBS News Hour, NPR Morning Edition, Canada One Radio, Chinese Global Television Network and 50 more news outlets. She hosted a Dark Skies Conference at CMU and is co-running the 9th International Artificial Light at Night Conference in Calgary, Canada in August of 2023. Her research focuses on measuring the light of cities with drones, aircraft, satellites and astronauts aboard the ISS. 

Highlights from this episode:

Light pollution is harmful. Buddy Stefanoff is working on it - to the tune of about 5 years ahead of anybody else. Buddy and Crossroads LED are conscious of light trespass, color temperature, and shielding and so, have taken their design and manufacturing to the next level. Buddy demonstrates to Michael and special guest host, Greg Ehrich, some of the thermal dissipating and zero glare designs. He just might be the only one doing this. Buddy Stefanoff is an entrepreneur, small business owner and the Vice President of Engineering for Crossroads LED. With over 20 plus years of experience and expertise in the development of advanced, LED based luminaires and dark-sky certified lighting platforms, Mr. Stefanoff is the driving force behind the company’s product line which has received numerous patents and awards, including the International Dark-Sky Association’s prestigious “Best Design and Technical Innovation Award”. Under Mr. Stefanoff’s direction and leadership, Crossroads LED has become the undisputed worldwide leader in the design and production of LED luminaires that reduce light pollution and sky glow. 

"Either write something worth reading or do something worth writing." --Benjamin Franklin We think we’ve covered both bases in this episode. Jacqueline has written something worth reading, and The Lighting & Darkness Foundation and The Soft Lights Foundation are doing something worth writing about - or at least talking about. Michael and his new co-host, Mark Baker, chat with Jacqueline about our innate fear of the dark and it’s value to humanity and the environment. Jacqueline Yallop is the author of three novels and four works of creative non-fiction. She is currently working on a collection of short stories. She lives in West Wales where she teaches creative writing at Aberystwyth University. Jacqueline is an award-winning author of fiction and creative non-fiction, described as a ‘writer of rare fine judgement and delicacy’. Her latest book, Into the Dark, is out in November 2023 (London: Icon Books): it looks at darkness in all its forms, in science, literature, art, philosophy and history. Her novel, Obedience (London: Atlantic) was nominated for the Man Booker Prize. Big Pig Little Pig (London: Figtree) a memoir, was Radio 4 Book of the Week. Her work has been translated into several languages. 

Highlights from this episode:

High Pressure Sodium might be the best street lights for our rods and cones, but LED is here to stay, so we’re going to have to figure it out. Noah talks with Michael and Mark about reports, studies, and solutions. He gives us some very interesting facts about cone cells in our eyes under yellow light, and why military bases and astronomers use red light to illuminate at night. But cities have gone and are going to blue light LED’s at night, and no one wants to admit to this mistake. Noah Sabatier is a photographer and lighting researcher that is dedicated to advocating for better outdoor lighting. Noah has spent the past 5 years living with a night shift sleep schedule, during this time he realized that the streetlights in his city were far from optimal - and recent changes had only made them worse. He has spent the past 2 years extensively reviewing scientific literature and technical documents alongside others advocating for better lighting. Noah is now working to raise awareness of common misconceptions that lead to bad lighting and the better practices needed to solve this problem.

See some of Noah's work on The Soft Lights Foundation website: https://www.softlights.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/A-Multi-Field-Analysis-of-Street-Lighting-in-Grand-Rapids-Michigan.pdf