Lisbon and Light Pollution
July 10, 2010
Photographer: Miguel Claro
Summary Authors: Miguel Claro; Jim Foster
The photo above shows a nighttime panorama of Portugal's capital city of Lisbon and its accompanying dome of light pollution. Light pollution is a serious problem in all major cities of the world; not only in regards of wasted energy but also in regards to the loss of aesthetics -- the simple joy of gazing at an unspoiled starry sky. Looking at a map of the darkest night skies, in urban areas, it's evident that light pollution is especially egregious in the U.S. and Europe.
Only a few bright stars are visible on this 8 photo panorama including, Mizar and Alkaid in Ursa Major (upper right center) and Denebola in Leo, above the rocky cliff at far right. At ground level the panorama shows, again from left to right, Christ the King monument (at extreme left), the great 25 April Bridge (Ponte 25 de Abril) crossing the Tagus River, the south edge of Lisbon (at center), and the lights of the Vasco da Gama Bridge, just above the horizon line at right-center. Click on image for a larger view. Photo taken on February 17, 2010 at 9:37 p.m.
Photo Details: 8 images taken with Canon 50D camera. Aperture: f/5.0; Exposure Time: 30.000 s; ISO equiv: 125: Color Space: Adobe RGB (1998).
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