Stars Are Disappearing From Sight at an Astonishing
Rate
Few things are as awe-inspiring as a night-time sky awash with stars.
Countless generations of sky-gazers have marvelled at the wonders of the
heavens, stars spanning the firmament from horizon to horizon. The starry sky
is closely tied to human cultural heritage, yet thanks to artificial light and
its subsequent light pollution, we are losing this iconic natural resource.
This isn’t new news. For decades, light pollution has been vexing sky
lovers and scientists alike. Not to mention the impact light pollution has on
the natural world, from affecting human health and birds' night-time navigation
to disorienting baby sea turtles and disrupting the mating patterns of
fireflies. And lest we forget: the lighting that causes light pollution wastes
important resources.
Yet despite this knowledge, light pollution has been challenging to
document, especially on a global scale. But now, a new study shows that light
pollution is rapidly worsening.
The analysis comes from Globe at Night, a citizen science program run by
the National Science Foundation's NOIRLab. The study concludes that stars are
disappearing from human sight at a stunning rate. By relying on the
observations of sky-gazers across the globe, the researchers found that light
pollution has had much more of an impact than indicated by satellite
measurements.
From the glimmering swath of our home galaxy, the Milky Way, to a
multitude of constellations, the human eye should be able to see thousands of
stars on a clear, dark night. Yet thanks to light pollution, 30% of people
around the globe and around 80% of people in the United States can’t even see
the Milky Way swirl of our galaxy anymore.
Losing the Dark of Night, at the Speed of Light
Researchers claim that 99% of people in Europe and the United States live under light-polluted skies. In some parts of the world, people never experience a true night sky, but merely an artificial twilight.
The problem stems from poorly targeted, overly bright, and improperly shielded outdoor lighting. Rather than being focused on the actual area that needs to be illuminated, bad lighting spills where it’s not intended or needed—particularly the night sky.
The High Cost of Light Pollution
Uncontrolled outdoor lighting robs us of the experience of seeing a night sky brimming with stars, but that’s not the only cost of light pollution—or even the highest. Poor lighting wastes billions of dollars per year in energy consumption and carbon emissions. There’s also a growing body of scientific evidence around the public health risk of overexposure to artificial light at night.
Energy Waste
The financial toll of unnecessary and uncontrolled lighting is one of the most surprising consequences of light pollution. Money is wasted producing “lost light,” any light that doesn’t shine directly on the ground or an object meant to be illuminated, like a home or landscape feature.
Sources/Links:
https://www.voltlighting.com/learn/using-dark-sky-approved-lighting-to-reduce-light-pollution
https://www.treehugger.com/stars-disappearing-from-sight-astonishing-rate-7096817
https://www.sciencefocus.com/news/light-pollution-view-night-sky/
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