LED street lights and Light Pollution Filters - Forums

Topic starter

Mar 3, 2021 · Edited: Mar 3, 2021

Due to some recent european regulations cities in Europe are obliged to sooner or later convert there streetlights to energy-efficient LED lights. This happend in our village two years ago. Unfortunatelly, the emission spectrum of a white LED light is completelly different from the conventional high or low pressure sodium or mercury lights. For example, there is a pronounced peak at about 460nm. So, at least theoretically, most astronomical light pollution filters should no longer have any effect with LED street lights.

I wonder if anyone in this group has experience (good or bad) with a light pollution filter in a region where LED streetlights are predominant ?

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DustSpeakers

Mar 3, 2021

Only bad. Our streetlights were changed to LED lights about 2 years ago and the broad spectrum from these lights is impossible to filter out. I complained to the local council since one of these abominations was right opposite my bedroom window and the 'whiteness' was affecting my sleep and they fitted some kind of a shade to supposedly allow the light to only occur in the downward direction. They also agreed to turn the offending light off between 11pm and 5 am, but not any other street lights further afield. I have noticed that other lights in the area have acquired 'shades' so I'm not the only one being affected.

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Niels V. Christensen

Mar 3, 2021

Right, also my obs surroundings has changed to LED street lamps & light glow from CPH, DK => not at all good for DSLRs/OSC cams & LPS filters combinations.
For nebulas that contain a lot of Ha/OIII info, the only way forward is to "upgrade" to these kind of filters, one example here,
https://www.teleskop-express.de/shop/product_info.php/info/p12253_Optolong-2--L-eXtreme-Narrow-Band-Nebula-Filter-DSLR-and-Color-Astro-Cameras.html
Even better & much more expensive, to use this filter,
https://optcorp.com/products/radian-telescopes-2-inch-triad-ultra-filter

Tareq Abdulla

Mar 3, 2021

Mono + NB filters [5nm or 3nm]

Tom Gray

Oct 3, 2023

I’m currently using the new Baader UHC - L Ultra L- booster which is supposed to remove blue light pollution - the most common form in LED street lighting. It is a ‘broad’ NB filter with normal star colours and not too much halo around brighter stars. It gives emissions a nice lift.

Alexandre Salvador

Oct 4, 2023

My municipality has adhered to LED street lights. Of course, they took the chance to the increase the Lux output.
One day they were doing maintenance on the lamp opposite to my flat, and I approached the team, if they could do something about reducing the strong lights in my street, and also the lamp that shone directly into my bedroom. They almost laughed. They said they'd never had anyone complain about "too much light".Apparently, it just gives more votes, to try to turn the night into day.
Before they went, the team leader instructed the guy up there to make the lamp point as far downward as it would go, and more away from my window. Truth be told.

Pirate Mike

May 3, 2025 · Edited: May 3, 2025

Happy message of the day…

It won't be long, in the scheme of things, before there is no night on earth… just a brightly lit "LED Blue" hell.