Measuring and monitoring light pollution: Current approaches and challenges

Autor(en)
M. Kocifaj, Stefan Wallner, John C. Barentine
Abstrakt

Understanding the causes and potential mitigations of light pollution requires measuring and monitoring artificial light at night (ALAN). We review how ALAN is measured, both from the ground and through remote sensing by satellites in Earth orbit. A variety of techniques are described, including single-channel photometers, all-sky cameras, and drones. Spectroscopic differences between light sources can be used to determine which are most responsible for light pollution, but they complicate the interpretation of photometric data. The variability of Earth’s atmosphere leads to difficulty in comparisons between datasets. Theoretical models provide complementary information to calibrate experiments and interpret their results. Here, we identify several shortcomings and challenges in current approaches to measuring light pollution and suggest ways forward.

Organisation(en)
Institut für Astrophysik
Externe Organisation(en)
Slovak Academy of Sciences (SAS), Univerzita Komenského v Bratislave, Dark Sky Consulting, LLC
Journal
Science
Band
380
Seiten
1121-1124
Anzahl der Seiten
4
ISSN
0036-8075
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1126/science.adg0473
Publikationsdatum
06-2023
Peer-reviewed
Ja
ÖFOS 2012
103003 Astronomie, 103004 Astrophysik, 105905 Umweltschutz, 105906 Umweltgeowissenschaften
Link zum Portal
https://ucrisportal.univie.ac.at/de/publications/b6afbb56-b71f-44ab-9593-8b3ee9328e23