The phenomenon of light pollution brings several issues. Greenhouse gas lights brighten the night sky. Gases create a light barrier that prevents us from seeing what could have been seen with the naked eye before – stars, constellations, the Milky Way. As a result, a third of the world’s people do not have the opportunity to see the clear night sky.
Why the Night Sky Is Brighter than It Should Be
Some crucial information was provided by Michael Marlin, a dark sky ambassador for the International Astronomical Union and a delegate of the International Dark-Sky Association. In his presentation at the Climate Resilience and Natural Resource Management for the Hawaii County Council’s Committee meeting, Marlin presented several findings.
The dark sky ambassador investigated why a brighter night sky is happening and how it can affect the health and economy of communities. Glow and greenhouse gases, which are produced by artificial light, go far beyond uninhabited areas. Accumulating gases can form clouds from which light is reflected. This is another fact where human activity negatively affects the environment and the atmosphere and thus the planet’s health.
Light Pollution Increases with Humans
Due to artificial light pollution, up to 60 percent of Europeans and 80 percent of Americans cannot see the Milky Way in the night sky. It’s like a chain reaction – with a growing human population, cities, and infrastructure are growing, so artificial lighting is increasing.
A night, natural dark naturally promotes healthy sleep. In practice, not a single ray of artificial light should reach us at night so that the brain can rest and function well. It follows that the night sky is for the good of us all, and we should work to maintain it.
If all the lights in the cities were to go out – the windows of all the houses and flats, the street lamps, the billboards, the car headlights, the neon signs – we would see what our eyes can only see today: a clear night sky full of shining stars.
Source: https://www.greenmatters.com/p/night-sky-less-dark, featured photo by Robson Hatsukami Morgan on Unsplash
