When the amount of light exceeds luminance, glare occurs, causing decreased adaptation of the eye and less vision. Light pollution is the result of glare and urban sky glow reflecting into the night, obliterating the natural light of distant objects. A critical factor in locating the MIRA observatory in Monterey County was the clear skies between San Francisco and Los Angeles. Directing light onto the object intended to be lit, prohibiting useless upward-directed illumination of the nighttime sky, and using only the amount of light necessary should be common sense. Lighting the sky wastes energy, curtails our research into the mysteries of the Universe, and denies everyone the breathtaking beauty of the night sky.
Legislation is required to protect dark skies for everyone.
In Monterey County, the worst sources of light pollution come from the cities skirting the Monterey Bay, the City of Salinas, and the correctional facilities at Soledad. Light pollution from these sources now crosses the mountains into Carmel Valley and spreads the length of the Salinas Valley. Night sky viewing at the Fremont Peak Observatory, the Oliver Observing Station on Chews Ridge, and the Weaver Student Observatory in Marina are now affected. The Astronomical Society of the Central Coast and MIRA astronomers have worked to prepare a draft ordinance intended to curb light pollution of Monterey County skies before our dark sky resource is irretrievably lost. A time exposure looking east from the Oliver Observing Station shows the effects of light pollution over the Salinas Valley.