Night Sky Communities

We are dreaming of cities that become magical

A pitch-black night sky with glistening stars is much more than just the perfect background for designing urban space using light. A Night Sky is important for natural rhythms too and as a result for the well-being of human beings, animals and plants.

Light influ­ences both human and animal emo­tions and behav­iour – includ­ing those of insects and gen­er­ally noc­tur­nal crea­tures such as bats, owls and migra­tory birds. As well as the shift from day­light to dark­ness, moon­light and starlight also play an impor­tant part.

Bats, for exam­ple, hunt only at night using echolo­ca­tion. Migra­tory birds nav­i­gate their pas­sage using the stars in the sky. On the water, insects hatch their larvae at night.

The IDA – International Dark-Sky Association, is based in the USA and has launched an award for cities that is aimed at preserving starry night skies. The designation “Dark Sky Community” is awarded to those municipalities and places which demonstrate particular dedication in relation to reducing light pollution.

Which features of our luminaires help attain this goal?

With all our new products, we offer the following features aimed at reducing light pollution and taking into account the needs of animals and human beings, which can be implemented by cities and municipalities to meet the standards for certification as a Dark Sky Community.

Night Sky Optics

tar­geted light with a clear cut-off

Spe­cially devel­oped optics with a pre­cise down­ward beam enable an even more tar­geted focus. This means that no direct light com­po­nents are radi­ated above the hor­i­zon­tal plane of a lumi­naire. And the star-stud­ded inky black night sky so cru­cial to people, ani­mals and plants is main­tained.

Warm colour tem­per­a­tures

The com­po­si­tion of light is a deter­min­ing factor as we jour­ney towards sus­tain­able light­ing. Living organ­isms react highly sen­si­tively to spec­tral com­po­si­tions of elec­tro­mag­netic radi­a­tion in the vis­i­ble range, many of them to blue light in par­tic­u­lar. The spec­trum used should there­fore min­imise short-wave light (blue/​violet) as much as pos­si­ble. The rec­om­men­da­tion is to install street lights with max­i­mum 3000K.

The lower the colour tem­per­a­ture, the more warm tones the light will have, and the less impact it will thus have on the animal king­dom. Wher­ever light­ing and urban devel­op­ment impinge on the habi­tat of sen­si­tive or endan­gered ani­mals, the rec­om­men­da­tion is to use max­i­mum 2 400K or the extremely warm »PC Amber« colour tone. We offer cor­re­spond­ing light colours as stan­dard in our new prod­uct ranges.

Reduced light inten­sity

Light should be no brighter than it needs to be. Where pos­si­ble, nor­ma­tive spec­i­fi­ca­tions should not be exceeded. Illu­mi­nated sur­faces also play a role: some mate­ri­als reflect more light back into the night sky than others. Every last detail counts here — we ensure that our lumi­naires do not light up their poles as well, for exam­ple.

Con­trolled light­ing

Light that adapts to the cir­cum­stances: it’s there when you need it and not when you don’t. Light­ing should be oper­a­tional accord­ing to use. Motion sen­sors or timer con­trols ensure light is pro­vided at the right time, and is oth­er­wise dimmed or switched off com­pletely. In the dead of night, this helps to avoid unnecessary light emissions. Motion sensors detect pedestrians, vehicles, or passing bicycles and adjust the brightness, ensuring that light is available at the right time.

At a glance
Which types of lighting protect the night sky?

Projection
Indirect lighting over surfaces such as façades enables atmospheric effects and avoids excessive radiation from the directional light.

Precision floodlight
Surfaces that are illuminated with sharp contours also offer the possibility of illuminating buildings without generating too much stray light. Entrances, signs and architectural highlights thus remain safely and efficiently illuminated at night.

Grazing light
Grazing light as a further option for indirect light can, if directed clearly downwards, provide visual accents while being applied directly to the relevant surface - and avoid light pollution in the process.

Shielded lighting
Luminaires that are well shielded avoid radiation in the direction of the night sky. Suitable housing shapes can be found for functional but also decorative applications.

Special optics
To visually achieve the appearance of elegantly free-radiating luminaires, suitable special optics that direct the light without a visible housing can be used.

Our products - design accents during the day, magic for the city at night under a sky full of stars

Choose from our portfolio of Night Sky friendly luminaires

Olivio

Serie

Series Overview

Lif light column with Top element

Series Overview

Lif light column with Top element and Twinspot module

Series Overview

Lif light column with Top element and Pathway modul

Series Overview

Line wall surface luminaire

Series Overview

Line recessed wall luminaire

Series Overview

Aeto

Serie

Series Overview

Aeto – 84 Wp – 1×

Series Overview

Lukida

Serie

Series Overview

Lukida 4000–P200-160 Solar light column

Series Overview

Lukida 4000–P100-160 Solar light column

Series Overview

Inula

Serie

Series Overview

Elo

Serie

Series Overview

Elo Pure pole top luminaire

Series Overview

Elo Shape pole top luminaire

Series Overview

Aira

Serie

Series Overview

Aira Sphere pole top luminaire

Series Overview

Aira Cylinder pole top luminaire

Series Overview

Aira Cylinder pendant luminaire

Series Overview

Aira Sphere pendant luminaire double

Series Overview

Aira Sphere pole luminaire double

Series Overview

Aira Sphere pendant luminaire

Series Overview

Aira Sphere catenary luminaire

Series Overview

Aira Cylinder catenary luminaire

Series Overview

Aya

Serie

Series Overview

Mistella

Serie

Series Overview

Mistella pole top luminaire

Series Overview

Astro

Serie

Series Overview

Trigo

Serie

Series Overview

Anatar

Serie

Series Overview

Anatar 4000-P100-160 Solar pole luminaire

Series Overview

Anatar 4000-P200-215 Solar pole luminaire

Series Overview

Anatar 8000-P200-215 Solar pole luminaire double

Series Overview

Yloo lateral luminaire double

Series Overview

Avanza 450 pole top / lateral luminaire

Series Overview

Avanta 600 pole top / lateral luminaire double

Series Overview

Tal Shield

Serie

Series Overview

Tal pole top / lateral luminaire

Series Overview

Tal pole top / lateral luminaire double

Series Overview

Tessia

Serie

Series Overview

Tessia 550 pole top / lateral luminaire

Series Overview

Tessia 550 pole top / lateral luminaire double

Series Overview

Tessia 650 pole top / lateral luminaire

Series Overview

Tessia 650 Pole pole top / lateral luminaire double

Series Overview

Arca

Serie

Series Overview

Arca Flex pole top / lateral luminaire

Series Overview

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