light pollution – Shamskm: A site to exchange knowledge and solutions

Stunning images of Andromeda demonstrate the world’s most powerful astronomical camera

By Guest PostAugust 17, 2013Scienceandromeda galaxy, astronomical camera, baby galaxy, ceramic lens barrel, cosmic census, dark energy, dark matter, early universe, edge of galaxy, entire picture, hawaiian mountain, hsc, hyper suprime cam, images of andromeda, james bosch, kavli ipmu, light pollution, mauna kea, messier 31, michael strauss, milky way galaxy, naoj, paul price, princeton university, robert lupton, subaru telescope

Stunning images of the Andromeda Galaxy are among the first to emerge from a new wide-field camera installed on the enormous Subaru Telescope atop the Hawaiian mountain Mauna Kea. The camera, called the Hyper-Suprime Cam (HSC), is the result of an international collaboration between Princeton University astrophysicists and Japanese and Taiwanese scientists.

With this new camera, researchers will be able to conduct a “cosmic census” of hundreds of millions of galaxies in a wide swath of sky in sufficient depth to probe mysteries such as dark matter and dark energy, while searching for baby galaxies in the early universe. The images of the Andromeda Galaxy demonstrate the new camera’s ability to capture images for a large-scale survey that will help scientists understand the evolutionary history and fate of the expanding universe. The camera’s enormous field of view allowed the entire Andromeda Galaxy, which is some 60,000 light years across, to be captured in a single shot. (more…)

Ecologists Shed New Light on Effects of Light Pollution on Wildlife

By Guest PostDecember 3, 2012Environment, Naturealarm calls, animal behaviour, Antarctica, artificial light, asia, common redshank, data, earth, ecologist, electrical lighting, Europe, exeter, feeding habit, forth estuary, full moon, gas flare, grangemouth, light pollution, longannet, marshes, negative effect, nervous birds, oil refinery, power station, ross dwyer, satellite, scotland, sentinel, shorebirds, spring migration, teu hoo, uk coasts, university, us military, wildlife

Light pollution is often associated with negative effects on wildlife. Now, ecologists have found that by mimicking a perpetual full moon, the gas flares and electrical lighting along Scotland’s Forth estuary are helping shorebirds stock up on more food during the winter to fuel their spring migration.

The research is the first to use night-time light data from US military satellites to study animal behaviour.

Coasts and estuaries are among the most rapidly developing areas on Earth. Night-time satellite images of the planet show that except Antarctica, continents are ringed with halos of brightly-lit human development. But coasts are also key wildlife sites. Every year, millions of waterbirds arrive from the Arctic to overwinter on UK coasts, yet scientists remain largely in the dark about how these birds respond to the bright lights of coastal cities and industry. (more…)

Exeter Scientist Discovers UK’s Rarest Bat in East Devon

By Guest PostSeptember 25, 2012Natureadrian bayley, axe, bat, bat boxes, Britain, colyford, east devon, estuary wetlands, evening, exeter, farming method, fiona mathews, fraser rush, grey, habitat management, isle, light pollution, long eareds, newton abbot, rarest mammal, seaton, university, urbanisation, wet, whispering bats, wight, wild weekend, wildlife

University of Exeter scientist Dr Fiona Mathews has discovered one of Britain’s rarest mammals living in East Devon.

Members of the public were treated to a surprise close-encounter with the Grey long-eared bat, believed to be one of only 1,000 individuals in the country, at an event organised by East Devon District Council’s Countryside Service at the Axe Estuary Wetlands.

The bat evening was part of a regular Wet and Wild Weekend – a celebration of the wildlife of the Axe Estuary Wetlands attracting nearly 500 people. Dr Mathews and fellow bat-enthusiast Adrian Bayley had set up mist nets so that people could meet some of the animals they were hearing on bat detectors, and were amazed to find the country’s rarest bat.

There are only six known breeding colonies of Grey long-eared bats in the UK. This discovery potentially links an isolated group near Newton Abbot with colonies in Dorset and the Isle of Wight. (more…)

Light Pollution Transforming Insect Communities

By Guest PostJune 1, 2012Environmentartificial lighting, balance, ecosystem, ecosystem services, falmouth, ground beetles, harvestmen, helston, insect communities, invertebrates, kevin murphy, light pollution, market town, scavenging species, species, street lighting, tom davies, university of exeter, urban spaces, west cornwall

Street lighting is transforming communities of insects and other invertebrates, according to research by the University of Exeter.

Published in the journal Biology Letters, the study shows for the first time that the balance of different species living together is being radically altered as a result of light pollution in our towns and cities.

Believed to be increasing by six per cent a year globally, artificial lighting is already known to affect individual organisms, but this is the first time that its impact on whole communities has been investigated.

This study shows that groups of invertebrates living near to artificial lights include more predators and scavengers. This could be impacting on the survival rates of different species, having a knock-on effect on birds and mammals that rely on these species for food. The effects could be affecting entire ecosystems and even humans. (more…)

Tag Archives: light pollution

Stunning images of Andromeda demonstrate the world’s most powerful astronomical camera

Ecologists Shed New Light on Effects of Light Pollution on Wildlife

Exeter Scientist Discovers UK’s Rarest Bat in East Devon

Light Pollution Transforming Insect Communities