Light Pollution - Just the Facts
* Light pollution is excess or obtrusive light created by humans.
* Light pollution is a broad term that refers to multiple problems, all of which are caused by inefficient, annoying or unnecessary use of artificial light.
* Specific types of light pollution include light trespass, over-illumination, and sky glow.
* Light trespass occurs when unwanted light spills over beyond the boundary of the property on which a light is located to adjacent properties. Light trespass is often caused by high or poorly positioned lights. The result is bright night lighting on an area that would otherwise be dark.
* Over-illumination is the excessive use of light. Specifically within the United States, over-illumination is responsible for approximately two million barrels of oil per day in energy wasted.
* Sky glow is the bright glow that can be seen over many cities and towns in the evening. It is caused by light traveling through and being scattered by particulates in the atmosphere. It is worse in heavily polluted areas and will always exist to some extent when the air quality is poor.
* About two thirds of the population of the world and 99% of people in the continental USA and Western Europe never see a truly dark starry sky from where they live because of light pollution.
* When a massive power outage struck southern California in the 1990s, Los Angeles residents reportedly called 911 to express alarm about strange clouds hovering overhead; they were seeing the Milky Way for the first time!
* Light pollution must be addressed by changing the habits of society, so that lighting is used more efficiently, with less waste and less creation of unwanted or unneeded illumination.
* If we all work together, future generations can regain some of the pleasures of seeing a star filled night sky.
This entry was posted on Friday, May 16th, 2008 at 9:00 am and is filed under Light Pollution, Starry Night Lights, environment. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.
4 Responses to “Light Pollution - Just the Facts”
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October 6th, 2008 at 11:54 pm
Hey I just wanteed to say that I really hate light pollution. I really think that the government should do something about it. If we do not do anything about it now, then it will just get worse. I may only be 13, but I would really like to be able to see the stars when I get old. if you could help, thanks sooooooooo much!!!!!!
December 5th, 2008 at 1:55 am
hey guys…first of all i love this site im doing a report on pollution and it was a great informatal website…i totally agree nikki i would love to see the stars light pollution is not as bad in my city but its only gonna get worse over the holidays and through out the years im only 11 years old so i cant really tontribute but someone seriously has to stand up for this and stop it thank you very much, eva!
December 5th, 2008 at 2:46 pm
Hi Nikki
Why wait until you’re old to see the stars? They look amazing, right now. All you need to do is go somewhere dark to see them. I know this isn’t as easy as it might sound? From a city like Los Angeles, or New York, you’d need to drive for hours to get to truly dark skies (much longer from NYC). Many kids your age have never even seen a truly dark sky, and hence don’t even really know what they’re missing. This is highly unfortunate, as the star-filled night sky has inspired minds for countless centuries. Too bad, that our hi-tech (been to the moon) society is one of the most out of touch with the universe of them all.
December 5th, 2008 at 2:51 pm
Eva
Same for you…. and more. You say that light pollution in your city isn’t all that bad, but what do you have to compare it to? Have you been to places like the Grand Canyon or Bryce Canyon and seen what the skies look like from those spots? There are literally thousands of stars that SHOULD be visible on any given clear night. This number shrinks to a few dozen from most cities and only a handful from the worst offenders. I urge you to try to checkout the stars after dark from one of these locations at some point in your life. It WILL open your eyes to the universe.
Anthony