[interested_observer]

Here is a pretty nice solution to the annoying problem of having a street light interfere with your telescope night viewing.... It just takes an Astronaut!

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[EarlVonTapia]

I saw this on PetaPixel earlier today.

It's probably illegal, and could be dangerous. Street lights exist for a reason.

I'm not trying to start a fight, just stating what should be obvious.

[Steve.Ledger]

Clever, but is it legal??

EDIT: Sorry EVT, your post wasn't there until after I posted.. But yeh, my first reaction was that it's probably illegal.

[Not a Number]

If the LASER light is going past the sensor and should blind a pilot in flight that guy is in deep poo-poo. And that gas LASER is probably quite a bit more powerful than you run of the mill pocket pointer.

[MarkJerling]

Brilliant. (No, I don't really care if it's legal or not) The thing obviously gets in the way of his stargazing and he's simply turning it off - no shooting it to bits.

[IsaacT]

I have personally built high powered lasers as a hobby in the past(can't afford both lasers AND photography) and I can say this does work but you must be careful and mindful of any flights in the sky. It is also somewhat difficult to hit the sensor on the top. More difficult than I originally had thought.

[csa]

Brilliant. (No, I don't really care if it's legal or not) The thing obviously gets in the way of his stargazing and he's simply turning it off - no shooting it to bits.

If someone has an accident, someone falls because the streetlight is out; there is a problem. This is not his property to mess with. Many have streetlights interfering with their scope viewing; so everyone should just turn off the streetlights at will? Perhaps the astronaut should get into his vehicle & drive to a more suitable place for viewing.

[MarkJerling]

If someone has an accident, someone falls because the streetlight is out; there is a problem. This is not his property to mess with. Many have streetlights interfering with their scope viewing; so everyone should just turn off the streetlights at will? Perhaps the astronaut should get into his vehicle & drive to a more suitable place for viewing.

Street lights are a major cause of light pollution in cities, not to mention a big cost. We did not have any street lights anywhere near our house for the last 12 years, so I could photograph stars relatively easily. Just a few months ago, our dear local Council decided, without any consultation, that we should have a street light right outside our front gate. Luckily, bedrooms windows are a decent distance from front gate, otherwise we would have needed thicker curtains all of a sudden.

I don't care for streetlights. If you're going to be out walking at night, carry a torch or a headlamp. I fully support anyone who turns of streetlights!

[csa]

I personally also don't like street lights, I just don't support anything that probably is illegal. Observers can build blinds to block out unwanted light; including neighbor's lights. Many have had success with having their power company paint or put in a "block" to stop the light coming in bedroom windows; you simply do not say it's because you wish to observe the night skies.

[geomez]

I would do it. It temporarily turns off the street light. No harm done. Street lights exist for reasons, yes, but are they good reasons? Also like Mark Jerling said, they are a major source of light pollution, especially old style lights like the one in the video. Lastly, a lot of places don't even have street lights! I live in Tucson, AZ, and my street has no street lights at all, and our lives are not worse because of it.

[csa]

I'm certainly NOT defending street lights, rather questioning the legality of individuals interfering with property other than their own. There are other ways to handle trespassing lighting. That's why I'd never live in town again. I have absolutely no lights of any kind where I live, but of course 20 acres out in the boonies like I have, is not possible for many. I do have an observatory with a 16" scope; so I'm well aware of what light pollution would mean.

[vonBaloney]

I've always lived in urban areas and certainly I have wanted my street lights on in some of those places to deter crime (keeps the car break-ins down and the drug dealers on some other corner), so you can see who's coming while walking at night, etc. I have called the city to get burned out street lights turned back on before.

However, this doesn't seem to be that big of a deal because he's only turning it off while he's using his telescope (and presumably would be a witness to anything going on outside). The turning off of the light itself, I mean.

BUT, you have to be really damn careful with lasers outdoors so there is no way I'd be doing that. You hit a plane with a laser, and even just somebody observes you shooting lasers up in the air, you are potentially going to be charged with terrorist offenses. I have heard of many such cases.

[DeadJohn]

If it's okay for the street light to shine onto his property, I'm okay with his light shining onto the street light

This reminds me of when my astronomy club was invited to bring telescopes to a local park for public viewing. We showed up an the spot the park managers picked for us was directly under a street light, making telescopes useless. We asked the park managers to turn lights off but they said they didn't know how. Someone took a blanket from their car and covered the light. It worked well until the blanket started burning.

[Bophoto]

For 50 years ago it was good, but today we have LED headlamps and reflective vests and good lights on cars and bikes, so it´s not needed. Criminal persons can hide in a shadow then it´s steetlights and don´t need some extra light to break in your car. But then it´s dark, they had to have a some lights to take your car and are easy to see from your windows. Then driving in a city / society you have a lot of lights from everywhere around, so you get disturbed sometime. Street lights interferes the ecology for insects. Street lights takes a lot of energy. Street lights are bad.

[mrNewt]

After this video... were there any cops showing at his residence and ask him to stop doing what he is doing and remove his "weapon of mass destruction" from that pillar? No? Well then I guess it wasn't bad was it?