My whole night of shooting the Orion Nebula got wrecked by a neighbor's floodlight

Seth Palmer · 2026-04-01T13:00:16.945541+00:00

I was set up in my backyard in Boise, about two hours into a 30-shot stack for M42. Out of nowhere, this bright white security light from the house behind me flicked on and just stayed on, washing out my whole frame. I had to pack up my whole rig, drive 45 minutes out to a dark sky site I knew near Lucky Peak, and start all over from scratch. Has anyone else had a planned session completely ruined by sudden light pollution like that?

mary7226mo ago

Ugh, my buddy had a streetlight installed right outside his window mid-shoot.

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ryan_kim636mo ago

Your neighbor's light is for safety, unlike @mary722's new streetlight.

2

patricia_morgan326mo ago

Honestly, that light is just your neighbor, like ryan_kim63 said, trying to feel safe in their own home.

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