Any astronomer knows that there is nothing like artificial lighting, commonly termed “light pollution,” to ruin a good night's observing. As an extension, after one views at a true dark sky site, it may be hard to ever want to observe from home again as the situation will seem utterly depressing. Now, a new video coming from the Dark Sky Association.
Coming by way of Insurance Quotes, the video explores the hidden costs of light pollution. In the video, which runs for just a minute and thirty-eight seconds, one will be treated to stunning, sometimes special effect-enhanced videos that capture all of the artificial light that humans are shooting up into the sky, whether they be from skyscraper or cell phone. Along with the imagery, one will, through the narration, learn just what light pollution is doing to both humans and the natural world as well as some amazing statistics.
So, what does the video say?
For starters, some of the numerical figures are staggering. First of all, there are a billion cars on Earth, each of which has a pair of headlights. Lights come in a variety of types, including mercury, argon, and phosphorous, all of which are, as the video says, beautiful at a distance but blinding up close. Oh yes, two thirds of Earth's population, or about 5 billion people, cannot see a truly dark sky.
Second: wildlife. Unlike humans, animals don't have clocks with which to tell time. With the increase in artificial light, some species are getting their days and nights mixed up, which can throw off sleep patterns and thus, through the creation of tired animals, increase chances of predation. Also, it is thought that some birds use the Moon and stars for navigation. Obviously, without the starry signposts, the birds may be getting lost. Perhaps the best known problem of light pollution is with sea turtle babies. Which are increasingly finding their way away from the ocean due to lighting on coastal cities.
Third reason to care: human health. Believe it or not research is starting to show that not even we human are immune from the effect of artificial lighting. With all the extra light, the production of melatonin, the hormone that regulates sleep, is impacted, thus leading to sleep disorders, which can then branch out to create other health problems. Some new research even suggests that the artificial lighting/the interruption of natural sleep patterns can create an increased risk for cancer.
For us in the Cleveland area, light pollution is a way of life. By looking at a light pollution map, one can see that the Cleveland metro area is at a level 8 to 9 on the Bortle Scale of light pollution. What does that mean? Well, in central Cleveland, one can forget about seeing anything but the brightest stars and/or constellations. The rest of Northeast Ohio isn't much better, either, with the Milky Way being invisible except overhead on all but the darkest nights.
In short, there are many reasons for caring about light pollution, even for non-astronomers. Between money, health, and the environment, light pollution does much more harm than just washing-out the beautiful night sky.
For more info:
The video
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