REVIEW OF ASTRONOMICAL SKY QUALITY AND ITS PRESERVATION STRATEGIES

• Main Author: Immamatul Khikmah, Vita
• Format: Final Project
• Language: Indonesia
• Online Access: https://digilib.itb.ac.id/gdl/view/73571
• Institution: Institut Teknologi Bandung

ABSTRACT Despite the claim that light pollution is the easiest to control, it is noticeably worsening worldwide as the human population increases. The failure arises from the difficulty in identifying the main source of light pollution and therefore in constructing an effective regulation on artificial lighting. An independent study was conducted to identify various potential sources of light pollution using satellite data before, during, and after the Covid-19 epidemic lockdown period over Indonesia. We find that large cities show a significant reduction in light pollution as many people work from home, whereas rural areas show a slight increase or even no change. This result confirms that residential areas contribute little to the worsening of light pollution and that the primary source is human activities. To be precise: where and how humans use artificial light: commercial and industrial areas, high rise offices, and ground transportation such as automobiles and streetlights. A study combining satellite and on-site ground data using the Sky Quality Meter (SQM) was carried out to identify sky brightness and examine the correlation between satellite-measured sky quality and SQM measurements. The aim of this study is to utilize the results in making estimates of astronomical sky conditions at locations that do not have SQM data. The results of the study showed a measurable correlation between 2015 and 2018, with satellite measurements consistently exceeding SQM measurements by a factor of 2,025 times (with a standard deviation of 0.2) at Observatorium Bosscha. This information can be used to predict the astronomical sky conditions in three astrotourism destinations for the next few years that indicate a tendency to deteriorate. Strategies to preserve and improve sky quality are being studied, including educational campaigns, nighttime lighting arrangements, the use of efficient and environmentally friendly lighting technologies, regulations pertaining to lighting in the surrounding areas, and controlling developments that do not worsen light pollution.