Constituting the first holistic overview including practical remedies, this handbook provides the background needed by anyone grappling with the complex issue of outdoor lighting and its effects. It describes not only the problems that astronomers and other night sky observers face in reducing the problems of information loss due to light pollution, as well as the problems lighting technologists face in optimising outdoor lighting installations that cause little or no light pollution. The first part is directed to decision makers and managers of outdoor space and covers the areas of general interest, culminating in recommendations to reduce the impact of light pollution. The second part is directed primarily to scientists and engineers, as a support to the design and maintenance of outdoor lighting installations, with special reference to astronomical observations. Elaborating issues from the first part, these contributions include examples that refer to specific outdoor lighting projects and to more general policy and educational measures.
Written for designers of lighting equipment and managers of astronomical observatories, but also aimed at the authorities and decision makers responsible for the organization and maintenance of the public space, it will serve a good purpose in graduate or postgraduate curricula for scientists, engineers, economists and law students. This handbook fills the gap that exists between astronomical textbooks, engineering texts and popular brochures about light pollution.
From the reviews:
"This is an excellent book, extremely comprehensive and very well done. The authors are very experienced lighting engineers, and thoroughly familiar with lighting and with pollution impacts. I know them both well. they have done an excellent job in producing this volume. Both are leaders in teh efforts to reduce the adverse effects of light pollution on humans and on the ecosystem I highly recommend it."
".....it is an excellent reference to most of all aspects of this important topic."
(Newsletter of the International Dark-Sky Association, Issue 62)
"Light Pollution Handbook (really a two-handbook at 945 pages) is one-stop shopping for nearly every issue related to light pollution."(Planetarian, September 2006)
"Authors cover in this more than 900 page book much more than simply light pollution, they provide background information in both fundamentals and different implications of light pollution. ... In summary if somebody has the time to dig deep into the sections of the book, he will find a tremendous amount of interesting data, and especially references to further reading. ... It can be recommended for the expert reader, who would like to find out more on the background of a particular subject." (CIE News, Vol. 81, 2007)
