TIL my backyard Orion photo from 2021 looks totally different now

I was sorting old files and pulled up a shot I took of Orion's Belt from my yard in Tucson. I compared it to one I took last month from the same spot. The difference is huge. The new photo has this weird orange haze around the stars that wasn't there before. I checked my gear, and I'm using the same camera and lens. The only change is the new streetlights they put in our neighborhood about a year ago. They're those bright white LED ones. I think the light pollution is just bouncing off the dry air here and washing out the sky. It's getting harder to see the faint stuff. Has anyone else noticed their night sky photos getting worse because of new local lighting?

2 comments

2 Comments

amy_murphy151d ago

Ugh, that's so frustrating! My own attempts at star photos look like I smeared Vaseline on the lens, but that's just my shaky hands. It's wild that you can actually track the change like that because of the new lights. Those bright white LEDs are the worst for this stuff, they just blast light everywhere. Makes me want to go yell at a streetlight, but I'd probably just hurt my shoulder.

andrew_nguyen641d ago

Man, that reminds me of when my town swapped all the old orange streetlights for those harsh blue-white ones. I used to see the Milky Way from my backyard as a kid, now I'm lucky to spot the Big Dipper. It's like they're trying to turn night into a bad office building.