I have only one streetlight to contend with in my backyard. Unfortunately its located where all the cool stuff is. I know that they work on a photo eye and therefore would shut off were enough light shined at that photosensor.

Anyone ever tried to use the Orion Laser Pointer to turn off a street light remotely? I am going to try it. Mark my words.

 

Not sure if this is "extreme" but I guess I am going to an extreme to reclaim a little bit of my dark skys.

2 words
Sling Shot........JK

actually....I have noticed here in Phx that individual street lights turn off from time to time. I do not know if this is a malfunction or some sort of power saving measure, but it is nice.

Has anybody else noticed this happening in their area?

have a steet light in my back yard that I pay the power co $3.00 per month. It wipes out viewing anything to the southeast. It never bothered me until a got in to stargazing w/ my old 8" celestron my step father is letting me borrow until I get my own scope. Now if I can talk the wife into it I will have that D@MN thing turned off and save the $3.00 for some astonomy books :),

Daniel

I once saw on some guys personal website that he turned off a couple streetlights with laser pointers , they were set on a wooden aiming contraption he built. The batteries in the lazers lasted several hours allowing him to star gaze.

flybynight wrote:

I once saw on some guys personal website that he turned off a couple streetlights with laser pointers , they were set on a wooden aiming contraption he built. The batteries in the lazers lasted several hours allowing him to star gaze.

 

So I am not crazy 

Some of the lights can be turned off this way, others not.

We used to do it in a publoc park withour lasers, but the new one put in my neighborhood doesn't work with it. I suppose the sensor is on top where I can't get a laser to hit it.

I'd try a slingshot but I'll probably miss and take out someones window.

 

-David

I have tried the laser thing, but it has not work for me because the photo censor is on top of the street lights. I also tried rocks, but haven't got a good hit on them yet.

You would have to hit the sensor just right to get it to shut the light off. It would also have to be bright enough to work.  Then the laser light would have to remain on during your night of observing. If not, the light will just turn back on in a matter of minutes..

As far as destroying the sensor with a bb gun or sling shot. Some of them are set to a default of "On" should anything happen To them.. I had a street light in my neighborhood that stayed on day and night due to this very reason.. You would never believe what damaged it... "A bird"  There is, after so many hours a chance the light burns out.. They are not meant to be on continuously..Then if your lucky like in my area. It takes them weeks if not months to come and repair it...

When I was a kid we use to take a very powerful spot light and shine it at street lights. It would turn them off for about 45 mins. I haven't done this lately. Dunno if it would still work.

 

Rayfield

Rayfield wrote:

When I was a kid we use to take a very powerful spot light and shine it at street lights. It would turn them off for about 45 mins. I haven't done this lately. Dunno if it would still work.   Rayfield

That is usually what it takes. But then you no longer have dark adapted eyes. And they only stay off for about ten minutes..

An absolutely wonderful idea  Go laser beem!

cooltech

I am totally hemmed in by streetlights at my urban location. I would have to have a whole battery of lasers to get me anywhere near a dark sky. I am sure someone would alert the power company if I were to take such action. Recently the power company sent out a lineman to change the lamp that had gone bad in the most annoying streetlight adjacent to my property. I offered him a bribe not to change it, but he declined. Hey it doesn't hurt to ask.

The light pollution in my area is horrible. It interferes with my stargazing every time I go outside. Let me see..um..there aren't any big rocks around here so x that. No guns either. I took an archery class a few years ago? That's it! Now, where'd I put those darn arrows?

I had a street light in my backyard when I lived in Charlotte. I called the power company and had them turn it off. Is the light on your property?

Also, if you find the sensor on the light, tape the laser pointer to a camera tripod and pulse the laser on/off every 5 minutes. You could also use a 555 timer to do the sequencing automatically (if you're into electronics).

If all else fails, a 22 LR would do the trick.

Clear and DARK skies to ya.

I tried the old bb gun method on one of my street lights. The result I shot the light 20 or more times and it did not break.

  I have an obnoxious sodium vapor streetlight across from my house. Though it's not visible from my observing sight it was shining in my bedroom. I heard about a law about light tresspassing and I called the power company about a shield for it. The guy said as long as it's on the public right of way they could shield it. About three days later they came by, at 02:30 am. With diesel engines running wide open, banging, clanging and yelling for an hour they had the shield installed. It helps a little with observing but a whole bunch with keeping my bedroom dark.

  As far as the lasers for turning them off. First , the photoelectric sensor is located on top of most light fixtures, hard to get at. But there are some that have them on the side. I have a friend that turned one off permanently with his laser. It was an older type with the mercury vapor lamp. Second, I've talked extensivly with an importer of these green lasers and he said not to leave them on for more than 60 seconds as they will overheat the cystal and cause premature death to the laser. Just what I was told, nothing to back it up.

    Rick

Spacedock7 wrote:

With diesel engines running wide open, banging, clanging and yelling for an hour they had the shield installed. It helps a little with observing but a whole bunch with keeping my bedroom dark.

I have heard others mention the existence of these shields, but have never heard a first hand account of one being installed.  So they DO exist!  Time to call the electric company!

Thanks for the info!

Seems I'm not alone in my despair I have a mercury vapour lamp right outside my observatory. Not good - however it did have a trip switch built into the pole.

For years I resorted to switching it off around New Moon which would give me a few days before the power company turned it back on again. Recently they evidently decided that there was something wrong with the pole so they replaced it with a taller version, all the better to illuminate my observatory. That didn't work so they pulled the switch and replaced it with a fuse.

My next effort was to unplug the fuse - and leave them a note - so they removed the fuse and hard-wired the light on 24/24. I cut the power cable (BE CAREFUL IF YOU TRY THIS) but they fixed it and responded with anti-tamper screws, I disabled it again and changed the anti-tamper screws to a different type, they fixed it and glued the access point shut.

I'm reluctant to shoot out the light or drive my SUV over the pole but I've tried just about everything I can think of. Maybe I just need to sell my house and move to the desert.

Clearest & darkest

Bruce in ZA

LX200/12 & lots of toys

I have used  in the past a  deer spottiing light to turn out the streetlight where I used to live for  10 years. This only works with the streetlights that have the light activated timer on it. We used to put the light on top of the truck and point it at the streetlight. We gained  about two magitudes on our already dark sky there. I had the posted on  my website for years and got more emails asking about it than anything else. It really worked!  The best part is, it's temporary! More legally sound than rocks and spray bottles!

Cheers and clear skies,

Penny

As per my message of 8/1/05, I called the power company on that date and am still waiting for them to show up with the shield.  It is now 1/24/06.......   HELLO!, ANYONE THERE?......