Towards a global map of the artificial all-sky brightness

Abstract

Modeling the hemispherical night sky brightness of anthropogenic origin is a demanding computational challenge, due to the intensive calculations required to produce all-sky maps with fine angular resolution including high-order scattering effects. We present in this Letter a physically consistent, semi-analytic two-parameter model of the all-sky radiance produced by an artificial light source that encodes efficiently the spectral radiance in all directions of the sky above the observer. The two parameters of this function are derived from the state of the atmosphere, the distance to the observer, and the source's angular and spectral emission pattern. The anthropogenic all-sky radiance at any place on Earth can be easily calculated by adding up the contributions of the surrounding artificial sources, using the information available from nighttime satellite imagery and ground-truth lighting inventories. This opens the way for the elaboration of a global world map of the artificial all-sky brightness.