[pct-l] Re: [CDT-L] Fw: Earthlights from Space Station

>Karen Elder wrote:
>
>> This is really cool -- it takes a while to load, but wow! :) Scroll up and
>> down and backward and forward. This is a photo from the Boeing built space
>> station. It is an incredible sight.
>> http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/image/0011/earthlights_dmsp_big.jpg
>>
At 08:45 AM 12/21/00 -0700, James Lofton wrote:
>Hi Karen, all,
>
>Not to be picking at you.., but what is cool to some is a VERY disgusting
>sight to others. The lights you find so pretty is also BILLIONS of dollars of
>wasted electricty(30+% of all light is wasted on upward shining). Think of all
>the wasted fuel needed to generate that light, all the polution to the air,
>and damned rivers that we think we need...., when we then waste it.
________________

You had to get me started, eh:-)) oh boy- here goes:

One person's "waste" is someone else's security and progress!

A sphere of light radiants equally in all direction; your 30% is misleading
as most of the light seen from space: 

1- is ground reflection

2- Are angularly radiated photons from office buildings' windows as the
observer/camera for these
shots are clearly not directly overhead...the component of light you see
is therefore the sine of the angle.

3- The light includes millions of residences and apartments also reflecting
upwards.

4- All new lights in most high-tech nations for the last 10 years have
been low-power street lighting downward pointing..and with a replacement
policy (at least in the US, Japan, Aus, France, GB) of using lowpower
street/public lighting.

5- The photo is also a time exposure so you see an integration/accumulation
of photons in the photo-- not the actual quantity of lighting..somewhat
misleading photo- but still beautiful.

...AND ---

5.1 a good percentage of the light are auto headlights as well, as 
well as people on the CDT,PCT and JM trails with their campfires <smirk>....

5.2 SOme of the light is from shelters protecting women and children from
abuse

5.3 SOme of the light is from hospitals curing our sick

5.4 some of the light is from our research insitutes- developing better
low pwer lighting <smirk>...and new higher efficiency solar cells,

5.5 SOme of the light is from housig projects for the homeless and mentally]
ill and handicap...

5.6 and a megawatt or two is lighting the slopes of The Alps, The Rockies,
where so manypeople go sking...

5.6- And dont forget the Eifle Tower and the Statue of Liberty...Her torch
burns outward 360 by the way :-))...

6- **YOU** wanna shut the lights down..man- I dont wanna touch that one...
Some people gotta complain about everything...the picture is awesome as
she said...

7- Think of the alternative.. Paris without lights (City of Lights) LA
without lights (City of Angels)-- Fairbanks without lights (cold mutha')
Tokyo without a Ginza district?? I have been around the world and seen
each of these...this is not a waste...what is a waste is people not taking
the time and effort to:

a- control the number of their offspring

b- Get involved with local government to reduce power useage (ie Xmas lights
on at 7PM and off at bedtime for Califonias current power crunch)

c- Putting 20,000 xmas lights on hundreds of blocks of houses in 
street in the US :-) 

d- Recycling

Well- I will get off my little soap box now....thanks for listening...
I hope I have adequately illuminated my thoughts to you...

--Rich Calliger





At
>
>Karen Elder wrote:
>
>> This is really cool -- it takes a while to load, but wow! :) Scroll up and
>> down and backward and forward. This is a photo from the Boeing built space
>> station. It is an incredible sight.
>> http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/image/0011/earthlights_dmsp_big.jpg
>>
>> .-=Karen
>> Albuquerque, NM, USA
>>
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>
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