We are proud to announce we now have DarkSky on our dark sky friendly range of luminaires.

A little background information

Did you know that 8 out of 10 people live under a light polluted sky? Over 100 years ago, astronomy enthusiasts would look up to the sky and see a star filled canopy. However, now they are greeted with a light-soaked space with little to no visibility of stars.

Much has changed over the years including new city developments, technological improvements as well as a huge increase in the population. It’s no surprise that cities such as London, New York and Las Vegas have taken advantage of these technologies and created visually dynamic skylines. However, as we learn more about human-centric environments and become more aware of the impact on the natural world, the questions of ‘how much is too much’ comes to the forefront of our minds.  

According to National Geographic, cities such as Las Vegas have so much light pollution you can see it from over 40 miles away. This may come as a surprise but as an ongoing topic within the industry, it’s important to address before situations get out of our control.

What is Light Pollution?

Light pollution is the result of over lighting or overdirecting artificial light within a scheme. It can have many forms such as sky glow, glare or even excessive brightness. With the shift to LEDs from HID fittings, many people became overexcited by the cheaper alternative and used far more than needed. This resulted in many over illuminated sites which later needed adjustments.

What’s the solution?

DarkSky International are a worldwide organisation with a focus on protecting the night sky and all its natural beauty. Their mission is to reverse the impacts of light pollution by guiding others to reduce the amount of artificial lighting in homes, the public realm, industrial units and much more. They provide guidance and recommend reputable manufacturers to help consumer makes responsible choices to lessen the impact of artificial illumination.

DarkSky provide a vast range of knowledge and resources while attempting to avoid light pollution. This includes their ‘DarkSky Approval’ which encourages people to use these luminaires to minimize glare, reduce excess light and overall sky pollution.

Kingfisher not only have a talented Lighting Design Team who will produce a state-of-the-art scheme that exceeds current guidance of obtrusive light but have a range of DarkSky approved products to choose from.

The Kingfisher ‘Dark Sky Friendly’ range includes…

The Semita Series

For a dark sky friendly, yet effective illumination, the Semita range is the perfect choice. Both Semita Urban and Arc are sleek wall mounted luminaires with flat-to-ground illumination that produce 0% ULOR (Upward Light Output Ratio). The Urban model is also available with an optional click-on facia that offers a soft, diffused output. Perfect for façade and perimeter lighting, the Semita series is available in a range of optics and low colour temperatures.

The Viva-City Family

Designed with performance and function in mind, the Viva-City family offers a wide array of precision optics in a variety of body sizes. Both the Flood and Pro variants can be used as standalone solutions or combined for broader schemes. These luminaires are all flat-to-ground, low glare and fitted with a site levelling bracket to ensure no upward light is emitted.

The Amnis Series

From ports to tennis courts, the Amnis series has it covered! Designed and Engineered in the UK, this family of powerful flood lights were created with advanced reflector technology with patented MIRO-Silver Reflector Optics to guarantee visual comfort, no back spill or upward light output. This coupled with low colour temperature make it the perfect options for dark sky locations.

Perfect for standard and slow motion HD broadcasting, Amnis offers a flicker free output, helping to reduce stroboscopic affects unlike other flood lights on the market.

Many more luminaires in our product offering is available with low colour temperatures, spill shield and other tools to help in the reduction of light pollution and obtrusive light.

Find out more about DarkSky International or click here to see our range.

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