Photo/Illutration Light from Panasonic Corp.’s “lighting friendly to starry skies,” foreground, does not spread to the overhead sky easily, compared with conventional security lighting, background, according to company officials. This photo was taken in the Bisei district of Ibara, Okayama Prefecture. (Provided by Panasonic Corp.)

Panasonic Corp. is planning to fight pollution in mountainous and coastal areas across Japan, in the form of lights that brighten the night sky to the detriment of star watchers.

The company is moving to introduce its “lighting friendly to starry skies” in local communities to battle light pollution.

Panasonic will deliver its new soft orange light to the Bisei district of Ibara, Okayama Prefecture, as the first step. Though conventional devices emit strong white light in all directions, Panasonic's orange light illuminates only the road side.

Bisei is famous as the “holy land for stargazers,” because it is home to an astronomical observatory and introduced the Light Pollution Prevention Ordinance for the first time among municipalities nationwide.

The city continues to make efforts to preserve star-lit skies overhead as a tourist attraction and started upgrading some LED security lights on its streets in July.

After Ibara city merged with Bisei in 2005, the municipality started thinking of applying for the International Dark Sky Places program of the International Dark-Sky Association (IDA), a U.S.-based private organization working for night sky preservation, to pull in more sightseers.

In the process, strong white light from security lighting emerged as a problem.

In spring 2019, an official of Ibara asked a Panasonic sales office for advice, and the company decided to develop a lighting device that would not pollute star-lit skies on board with the city’s plan.

Trying to slash introduction costs as much as possible, Panasonic sought a way to improve existing lights. A black resin sheet was inserted into the inside of the lighting so that the illumination will not reach the overhead sky.

Under the plan, Ibara will replace all its 400 security lights in Bisei with new ones by the end of the year, with an eye on having itself designated as an International Dark Sky Place next year.

“The lighting perfectly matches the landscape,” said Noboru Nishino, head of the Bisei Tourism Association. “We will further develop our town to attract visitors from across the world for our star-lit skies.”

In the meantime, the newly developed light became the first Japan-made product to win the IDA’s Dark Sky Friendly Lighting status in January this year.

“The lighting will protect people’s life and starry skies at the same time while maintaining a sufficient brightness level for security objectives,” said Kyota Mukunoki, a Panasonic official involved in the development of the new product.

Panasonic is looking to pitch the light equipment to municipalities and other parties moving to utilize star-filled skies as sightseeing resources and preserve historic scenery as efforts to fulfill the U.N. Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

According to the IDA, light pollution could have negative effects on not only stargazing but also the ecosystems of migratory birds and other animals as well as bugs and plants.

“White LED light turned on at night is totally different from light that exists in nature,” said Nobuaki Ochi, head of the IDA’s Tokyo branch, expressing his hopes for the introduction of the new lighting.

Related News