I love a blure ceiling in those spaces and any outdoor lighting that shines more up that down will give a you a glow at night and the pretty blue in the day time..I would caution you to ake sure you do not overpower the house with a portico that is too big.

Any outdoor lighting should follow the Five Principles of Responsible Outdoor Lighting. Any lighting installed should be focused downward -- not upward or outward -- to illuminate the areas that people actually need. What would be the purpose of illuminating the ceiling of that portico at night? People can see it during the day The illumination of the steps at the front of the door and any paths leading to them (using path lights) would be sufficient.

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Yep, that glow you like is simply from the hanging lantern. It's not just any lantern. For the light to be direction up the top of the lantern must be glass and not metal, or you won't get the glow.

I appreciate all the input! Thank you all for giving me your time!

The point, all you Darksky people, is a beautiful look. Do you not see how glowing the beautiful ceiling looks in the picture? No bats were killed in not being able to navigate. Any mosquitos that fried themselves on the light deserve to die.

"Do you not see how glowing the beautiful ceiling looks in the picture?"

So? How much time are you going to spend looking at it? Perhaps the neighbors would prefer to look at the sky, a dark one.

@wdccruise- thanks for posting—I generally aim to comply with the Dark Sky principles myself. I’m not seeing where this particular lighting application would be all that offensive, however, as whatever is done in this space (lantern, LED strips, etc) would be mostly shielded by the portico’s roof, thus unlikely to spill ‘up’ into the night sky and interrupt wildlife.

My town recently did some of the darksky crap. I tripped twice on steps that were not adequately lighted. Mentioned that to public officials at their town council meeting (these were the building steps that I used to attend the meeting). I imagine that nothing will be done about increasing the lighting there so more people do not trip because head official has lost touch with common sense.

@P.D. Schlitz: "whatever is done in this space (lantern, LED strips, etc) would be mostly shielded by the portico’s roof, thus unlikely to spill ‘up’ into the night sky and interrupt wildlife."

The light is not shielded, the portico does not require illumination (only the entry steps do), and the light would also shine out into the yard. These violate Dark Sky Principles #1 and #2, above.

Thanks for clarifying— again, I’m glad to see folks pushing broader awareness of Dark Sky principles and why they’re important for human and wildlife health, even though I sometimes view the movement’s goals as mostly realistic in more affluent suburban, rural, and/or low-crime areas (none of which apply to my own habitat, but assumedly would apply to the OP’s).

But I also think movement work needs to have an awareness of its potential to alienate would-be adopters by picking the wrong battles. With millions of landscape ‘uplights’ and high-intensity security lights being used in residential settings across the US, I’m not sure why someone wanting to occassionally turn on their covered porch/portico light to welcome guests— in a way that is unlikely to impact migratory birds or nocturnal wildlife— would be an advocacy target here.

To be fair, I’m often guilty of over-stepping advocacy on topics I care about too, & overall just appreciate the focus on spreading knowledge/ awareness of these issues.

Years back, my state spent a lot of taxpayer money planting a certain low height bush along our interstates. Like bloodletting, my state eventually changed its mind years later and is spending huge sums of taxpayer money removing those bushes. Would the world end if they left them there? No, but someone's brother-in-law is going to make a lot of money removing them.

Some things make sense, and some things are just an over-reaction.

P.D. Schlitz: "I sometimes view the movement’s goals as mostly realistic in more affluent suburban, rural, and/or low-crime areas..."

No, it's cities that suffer the most from failure to adhere to Dark Sky principles due to excessive and poorly-designed or located streetlights. The assumption is that lighting discourages crime but it also assists robbers by lighting their targets. Urban homeowners can install exterior lighting that follows Dark Sky principles and include motion sensors. They can best deter crime by using timers and smart interior lights that lead prospective robbers to believe the house is occupied.

@HU-910663146: "my state spent a lot of taxpayer money planting a certain low height bush along our interstates....my state eventually changed its mind"

" Each year roadway departure crashes account for more than half of United States highway fatalities and involve a vehicle that crosses an edge line, center line, or otherwise leaves the traveled way. A majority of these fatalities pertained to three general areas : overturning, opposing direction, and trees or shrubs. -- https://highways.dot.gov/safety/other/roadway-departure-crashes