The effect of the spectral response of measurement instruments in the assessment of night sky brightness

Bouroussis, Constantinos A.; Topalis, Frangiskos V.

doi:10.1016/j.jqsrt.2018.05.012

Cited by 8 publications

(4 citation statements)

References 17 publications

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“…Due to the transition towards solid-state lighting with LEDs, it is difficult to judge whether a site has become brighter or not 50 when devices are used that are not matching photometric visual band such as the SQM (see the comprehensive discussion on this topic by Sanchez de Miguel et al . 51 or recent work by Bouroussis 52 ) or even nighttime satellites, as the DMSP and VIIRS sensors lack sensitivity at short visible wavelengths 5,53 .…”

Section: Summary and Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Using all-sky differential photometry to investigate how nocturnal clouds darken the night sky in rural areas

Jechow

Hölker

Kyba

2019

Sci Rep

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Artificial light at night has affected most of the natural nocturnal landscapes worldwide and the subsequent light pollution has diverse effects on flora, fauna and human well-being. To evaluate the environmental impacts of light pollution, it is crucial to understand both the natural and artificial components of light at night under all weather conditions. The night sky brightness for clear skies is relatively well understood and a reference point for a lower limit is defined. However, no such reference point exists for cloudy skies. While some studies have examined the brightening of the night sky by clouds in urban areas, the published data on the (natural) darkening by clouds is very sparse. Knowledge of reference points for the illumination of natural nocturnal environments however, is essential for experimental design and ecological modeling to assess the impacts of light pollution. Here we use differential all-sky photometry with a commercial digital camera to investigate how clouds darken sky brightness at two rural sites. The spatially resolved data enables us to identify and study the nearly unpolluted parts of the sky and to set an upper limit on ground illumination for overcast nights at sites without light pollution.

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Section: Summary and Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Using all-sky differential photometry to investigate how nocturnal clouds darken the night sky in rural areas

Jechow

Hölker

Kyba

2019

Sci Rep

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“…A further source of error is the different spectral sensitivity of the instruments [41]. The VIIRS/DNB sensor lacks sensitivity for short wavelength radiation, and the SQM and the DSLR spectral bands have also a mismatch to each other and to the photometric band.…”

Section: Deviation Between Measurements and Modeled Nsb From Nwamentioning

confidence: 99%

“…A.20) during the overcast night would have been difficult to interpret with SQM measurements. Furthermore, the SQM itself has several drawbacks that have been discussed in earlier work [41,24].…”

Section: Comparison With Existing Workmentioning

confidence: 99%

Mapping the brightness and color of urban to rural skyglow with all-sky photometry

Jechow,

Kyba,

Hölker

2022

Preprint

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Artificial skyglow is a form of light pollution with wide ranging implications on the environment. The extent, intensity and color of skyglow depends on the artificial light sources and weather conditions. Skyglow can be best determined with ground based instruments. We mapped the skyglow of Berlin, Germany, for clear sky and overcast sky conditions inside and outside of the city limits. We conducted observations using a transect from the city center of Berlin towards a rural place more than 58 km south of Berlin using all-sky photometry with a calibrated commercial digital camera and a fisheye lens. From the multispectral imaging data, we processed luminance and correlated color temperature maps. We extracted the night sky brightness and correlated color temperature at zenith, as well as horizontal and scalar illuminance simultaneously. We calculated cloud amplification factors at each site and investigated the changes of brightness and color with distance, particularly showing differences inside and outside of the city limits. We found high values for illuminance above full moon light levels and amplification factors as high as 25 in the city center and a gradient towards the city limit and outside of the city limit. We further observed that clouds decrease the correlated color temperature in almost all cases. We discuss advantages and weaknesses of our method, compare the results with modeled night sky brightness data and provide recommendations for future work.

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“…Such measurements are not easily obtained in the field with single-channel devices, much less those intended to operate autonomously. Furthermore, panchromatic imagery is preferable to luminance measurements in restricted passbands, presuming that the spectrum of the night sky will continue to change in the future [ 122 ]. In order to make future comparisons of like with like, the spectral response characteristics of detectors should be standardized to the greatest extent possible.…”

Section: Future Prospectsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Methods for Assessment and Monitoring of Light Pollution around Ecologically Sensitive Sites

Barentine

2019

J. Imaging

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Since the introduction of electric lighting over a century ago, and particularly in the decades following the Second World War, indications of artificial light on the nighttime Earth as seen from Earth orbit have increased at a rate exceeding that of world population growth during the same period. Modification of the natural photic environment at night is a clear and imminent consequence of the proliferation of anthropogenic light at night into outdoor spaces, and with this unprecedented change comes a host of known and suspected ecological consequences. In the past two decades, the conservation community has gradually come to view light pollution as a threat requiring the development of best management practices. Establishing those practices demands a means of quantifying the problem, identifying polluting sources, and monitoring the evolution of their impacts through time. The proliferation of solid-state lighting and the changes to source spectral power distribution it has brought relative to legacy lighting technologies add the complication of color to the overall situation. In this paper, I describe the challenge of quantifying light pollution threats to ecologically-sensitive sites in the context of efforts to conserve natural nighttime darkness, assess the current state of the art in detection and imaging technology as applied to this realm, review some recent innovations, and consider future prospects for imaging approaches to provide substantial support for darkness conservation initiatives around the world.

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The effect of the spectral response of measurement instruments in the assessment of night sky brightness

Cited by 8 publications

References 17 publications

Using all-sky differential photometry to investigate how nocturnal clouds darken the night sky in rural areas

Using all-sky differential photometry to investigate how nocturnal clouds darken the night sky in rural areas

Mapping the brightness and color of urban to rural skyglow with all-sky photometry

Methods for Assessment and Monitoring of Light Pollution around Ecologically Sensitive Sites

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