Information Sheets

IDA Information Sheets & Practical Guides

Image Courtesy of Cindy & Dan Duriscoe

IDA Information Sheets and Practical Guides are provided for educational, non-commercial use only. All material is copyrighted by IDA unless otherwise noted. Terms of use for images.

NEW!! - Visit the Teaching Resources or the International Year of Astronomy 2009 page for downloadable brochures and posters. This resource is designed to be printed out at your location on regular copy paper and can be distributed at your discretion.

Practical Guides

This new series of resources provides basic knowledge of an issue, describes simple steps you can do to help resolve it, and references additional materials so you can increase your knowledge. Please look through the topics listed below to find one or several that best suit your interests. This is an ongoing project to provide the most up-to-date information on a variety of topics. Be sure to check back for additional Practical Guides in the future.

Practical Guide: Introduction to Light Pollution (PG-1)

Black and white version of PG-1

Practical Guide: Effects of Artificial Light at Night on Wildlife (PG-2)

Black and white version of PG-2

New!! Practical Guide: Residential Lighting (Good Neighbor Guide) (PG-3)

Black and white version of PG-3

Consequences of Light Pollution

Wildlife Conservation

Lighting

Good/Dark Sky Friendly Lighting

Bad Lighting

Security Lighting

Street Lighting

Residential/Good Neighbor Lighting

Lighting Ordinances

General Information

Dark Sky Advocacy

Getting Started

Public Outreach

Campaigning for Dark Skies

Documenting Light Pollution

Grass-Roots Fundraising

The International Dark-Sky Association (IDA)

General Information

IDA Sections

General Light Pollution Issues

Overviews

1. The Problem with Light Pollution

Contaminacin Lumnica - Problema de Todos (Espaol)

65. Leaflet: On Light Pollution (reprinted with permission of Ontario Hydro)

114. Illumination Levels: Then and Now by Louis Bevier Spinney

(excerpt from A Text-Book of Physics (1911))

115. Lighting Efficiency, Then and Now by Louis Bevier Spinney

(excerpt from A Text-Book of Physics (1925))

134. Contaminacin Lumnica: El Problema, Las Soluciones (Espaol)

Astronomy

10. Summary of IAU Colloquium No. 112

Light Pollution, Radio Interference, and Space Debris--The Increasing Environmental Impacts on Observational Astronomy (reprinted with IAU permission).

11. Estimating the Level of Sky Glow Due to Cities

20. Sky glow Effects on Existing Large Telescopes

45. International Astronomy Union Resolutions About the Issues

53. World Administrative Radio Conference-92: Principal Results of Importance to Radio Astronomy by A.R. Thompson

11. Impressions of a Night Sky Unaffected by Light Pollution

112. More About Sky Glow Calculations Using Walker's Law

120. Light Pollution and Limiting Magnitude

184. Preserving the Common Heritage of All Humanity: Radio Astronomy and Interference

Economy

4. Operating Data and the Economics of Different Lamps

26. Economic Issues in Wasted and Inefficient Outdoor Lighting

179. Too Much Outdoor Lighting Pollutes the Sky, Wastes energy, and Creates Safety Hazard (reprinted with permission by the National Lighting Bureau)