You'll be hearing a lot about the super moon today, because the moon is closer to Earth than it has been in almost 69 years. At 14%, it won't look a whole lot bigger, though. "Super-sized" is not what comes to mind...more like "oh yeah, I can see how that kind of looks bigger." The most noticeable thing when we checked it out last night was that it seemed WAY brighter. The shadows caused by the moon last night were super crisp and sharp. My kids initially thought the shadows were being caused by some electric light and they were awestruck to learn they were created by the moon. (Then again, this could just be because we don't spend enough time outside at night.)
Illuminance at a point can be simply calculated as a function of luminous intensity divided by distance squared. So the illuminance on the surface of the earth will vary inversely with the square of the distance from the moon. The equation is E=I/d^2. What exactly does this mean? The amount of light that reaches us is not a straight relationship with our distance from the moon. The light is doubly-impacted by the distance. Do you think you can tell the difference? Check it out tonight and let us know!

Lighting has always been a load of fun for me. This week we had fun attending a nighttime product demo. It was a great time getting together with others in the industry to eat, drink, talk, and learn. The evening was capped off with a short walk to a church where some powerful color-changing LED fixtures were on display - illuminating the church's tower and steeple.

That's when the evening went from just fun to totally amazing.
A woman who lived in the neighborhood came outside to talk to us. She began to share - through tears - that seeing the light on the church had given her hope when she had none. (This has been a really rough week for many people.)
Light. Brought. Hope.
Let that sink in for a minute...
As lighting designers, we are working in a medium that is so powerful. When we are designing, we have an awesome responsibility and opportunity at our fingertips. Light is a tool that can build bridges and bring people together. It can make us smile. It can give us hope.
We are not just here to make sure there are plenty of footcandles on the desk. That part of our job is just dandy, and we can do it really, really well.

​But what drives the Envision Lighting Design team is our knowledge and understanding of how important light really is!