Stadium lighting at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center uses wedge-shaped, shielded LED fixtures to direct illumination onto courts and reduce skyglow. The complex is the only professional sports venue certified by a dark-sky group, and its 17 tournament and five practice courts were approved as dark-sky-friendly. Across North America, schools and parks have replaced lights on fields and tracks to preserve star visibility and protect wildlife. Bright, cool sports-field lights can disrupt bird migration and nocturnal animals, so the USTA replaced metal halide bulbs with shielded LEDs to balance fan and TV needs while cutting spillover.
NEW YORK (AP) - When the court lights flicker on at the U.S. Open, tennis stars shine under illumination designed to cut light pollution. The wedge-shaped lamps around the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in Flushing Meadows direct light onto the players without spewing it into the surrounding skies. The stadium complex is the only professional sports venue certified by a group that's trying to preserve the night sky around the world.
Night lights can disrupt bird migration and confuse nocturnal critters like frogs and fireflies. Lights on sports fields are especially bright and cool, and often cast their glare into neighborhoods. In renovations over the past decade, the U.S. Tennis Association swapped metal halide bulbs for shielded LED lights. The complex's 17 tournament courts - including Arthur Ashe Stadium - and five practice courts were approved as dark sky-friendly last year.
USTA officials wanted the best lighting possible on their courts, which also happened to be friendly to dark skies. Their lighting company suggested striking a balance that would satisfy crowds and TV crews while cutting down spillover into the surrounding environment. "This is an international event that has an impact on the community," said the USTA's managing director of capital projects and engineering Chuck Jettmar. "Let's minimize that and make sure that everybody's happy with it."
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