Dark Skies: Brookhaven Adopts New Lighting Law Amendments
by Tom Madigan

A unanimous vote on the evening of 4th December 2007 by the Town Of Brookhaven Town Council puts in place a series of amendments that completes the township's existing lighting law, enacted one year ago. Among other items, the amendments include:

1. A sunset clause that will compel those who operate non-compliant lighting to bring it into spec within 10 years;
2. A tough-as-nails streetlighting provision that compels the town to install replacement streetlights and any new streetlights with full-cutoff luminaires. Existing streetlights will be replaced over time with full-cutoff luminaires and are subject to the 10-year sunset provision;
3. All due diligence to be performed when evaluating roadway lighting applications and a determination made as to whether the purpose of the lighting could be achieved through passive means with an eye towards energy conservation. This is essentially the concept of a lighting warrant;
4. Language that clearly addresses light trespass and glare with very specific remedies;
5. 11:00 PM lighting "curfew" (lights out after 11:00 PM unless you're open all night—this includes shopping malls and convenience stores, shopping centers and all those who think that dusk-to-dawn is the way to go);
6. Gives authority to code enforcement to determine if a lighting fixture or installation is a public safety hazard and that lighting fixture or installation be removed or brought into compliance immediately.

Full details will be available shortly on the Town Of Brookhaven public website at http://www.brookhaven.org.

These amendments, once filed with the NY State Secretary of State, become effective and enforceable immediately.

The Town of Brookhaven Town Council is to be commended for this landmark legislation and congratulations to all involved on a brilliant job well done! Special recognition is to be given to Councilman Kevin McCarrick who originally sponsored the legislation, his office staff, John Kreutz, his legislative aide, Councilman Steve Fiore-Rosenfeld for his enthusiastic support and to the Town of Brookhaven Ad Hoc Lighting Committee (Susan Harder, Phil Harrington, David Cohn, Tom Madigan and Alan Stadler) who worked closely with Councilman McCarrick's office and with Councilman Steve Fiore-Rosenfeld to enact these amendments thereby completing a lighting law that we can all be proud of, that will preserve and protect the night sky and our environment for generations to come and that will be a standard and a model for others to aspire to.

http://www.montaukobservatory.com

Observing Highlights for Jan–Feb

Naked-Eye Planets for Jan.–Feb. 2008

• Mercury: hidden behind the sun. Will become visible in the predawn hours late January-early February.
• Venus: Visible in the predawn hours.
• Mars: Earth finally passes by Mars which will finally end its retrograde motion on January 30th and return to normal motion in the sky.
• Jupiter: Hidden behind the sun.
• Saturn: Rises in the east around 9 or 10pm. It's highest in the south a couple hours before the first light of dawn.

Key Dates January–February:

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