Discussion
RE: https://mastodon.social/@sundogplanets/117593068171654579
Oh how I wish for sodium lamps to make a comeback 😔
White LEDs are particularly bad with a "blue spike" that can suppress melatonin and disrupt our circadian rhythms. American Medical Association recommends against using blue-heavy LEDs.
Most vertebrates affected by this.
I don't really notice LED street lamps any more, but what does annoy me a little bit is all those single-color LED strips that so many stores use to make signs out of to put into their windows. These colors are very unnatural while also being obnoxiously bright at night.
@Gargron they are still gradually being replaced here, and every one that gets replaced with a bright white LED lamp pisses me off all over again. i walk at night a lot and there's such a difference
@Gargron @sundogplanets sodium lamps are also VERY bad for astronomy. We can do better.
@juandesant @sundogplanets What would be better?
@Gargron @juandesant It's high pressure sodium that are the problem, right? Low pressure sodium lights are great for astronomy (unless you are studying sodium in stars, maybe that's what you do?)
@Gargron How about Hunt-for-Red-October Red LED? ;-)
LEDs are a wild west and I feel like with street lamps nobody cares about picking the right color temperature or high CRI.
And in case you missed it, here's one other way sodium vapour lamps are cool.
YouTube
@Gargron you can get warmer LEDs btw I bought this: https://www.amazon.de/-/en/Clampable-temperature-brightness-gooseneck-eye-friendly/dp/B0C3TSQ3G2/?th=1 life changing device
@dey ...Is this an ad?
@Gargron even worse than street lamps are the advertising signs glaring all night long. I hate them!
@Gargron also they’re always too damn bright!!!
@Gargron Flicker rate… some of us see and/or perceive it, and it seems to trigger headaches. There are LEDs that don’t. Use them, especially where folks can’t easily opt out.
Ideed. I'm lucky that my University at least is somewhat competent and where replacing high pressure Hg vapor lamps with LEDs, they're actually opting for a low color temperature (~4000K-ish I'd say) and using fixtures that are mostly directed downwards.
@Gargron @sundogplanets At the risk of sounding whiny, sodium lights are really noisy in quiet environments. I am not at all a proponent of violence, even towards objects but some nights I wish bad things on the neighbors light. I had ours disconnected. Fortunately, good lighting that is economical, considers, people, animals and dark sky is possible—if people care enough…