“Our telescope used to spot stars with magnitudes of 17 or 18. However, at the moment, we are only able to catch magnitudes of 13 or 14.” – Zhao Junliang, the former head of Shanghai Astronomical Observatory.
Another one bites the dust. The Sheshan branch of the Shanghai Astronomical Observatory’s second largest optical telescope can no longer participate with other international telescopes. Why? There’s too much light pollution in and around Shanghai. The Sheshan branch of Shanghai Astronomical Observatory lies approximately 23 miles outside of Shanghai on Mount Sheshan, which at the time, proved invaluable to mapping the stars above. Presently, the Sheshan branch of the Shanghai Astronomical Observatory is considering remote sensing options in Chile or Hawaii, as well as relocating the observatory to a better suited location. Similar to other nations around the world, China has ignored the effects of light pollution and ruled its effects as ‘inconclusive.’ Whilst the negative health effects of water and air pollution are readily ostensible, nations around the globe haven’t considered the health effects of light pollution due to a lack of palpable evidence. Light pollution affects all life on Earth. Most creatures on the planet, including humanity, functions on a biological clock. This clock, known as the circadian rhythm, is defined in the The American Heritage® Science Dictionary as:
A daily cycle of biological activity based on a 24-hour period and influenced by regular variations in the environment, such as the alternation of night and day. Circadian rhythms include sleeping and waking in animals, flower closing and opening in angiosperms, and tissue growth and differentiation in fungi. See also biological clock.
Furthermore:
Our Living Language : The circadian rhythm, present in humans and most other animals, is generated by an internal clock that is synchronized to light-dark cycles and other cues in an organism’s environment. This internal clock accounts for waking up at the same time every day even without an alarm clock. It also causes nocturnal animals to function at night when diurnal creatures are at rest. Circadian rhythms can be disrupted by changes in daily schedule. Biologists have observed that birds exposed to artificial light for a long time sometimes build nests in the fall instead of the spring. While the process underlying circadian rhythm is still being investigated, it is known to be controlled mainly by the release of hormones. In humans, the internal clock is located within the brain’s hypothalamus and pineal gland, which releases melatonin in response to the information it receives from photoreceptors in the retina. Nighttime causes melatonin secretion to rise, while daylight inhibits it. Even when light cues are absent, melatonin is still released in a cyclical manner.
Light pollution positively correlates with breast cancer, a decline in sea turtle population and sleep disorders.
















