Light Pollution May Wipe Out The Night Sky In 20 Years
Scientists and astronomers have warned that human’s ability to see the cosmos in the night sky will likely disappear within the next two decades due to light pollution. The rate at which the stars are becoming invisible has dramatically increased over the years, and if this continues, it could lead to 50% of the visible sky disappearing by the time a child reaches their 18th birthday. In this article, we’ll take a closer look at this important issue and the consequences it brings.
What is Light Pollution?
Light pollution refers to the brightening of the night sky by artificial lighting. The effect of artificial light causes the sky to brighten and saturate the sky with light, thereby reducing the ability to see stars and other celestial objects.
How Has Light Pollution Impacted the Night Sky?
Over the past few years, the problem of light pollution has been getting worse, with rapidly increasing light pollution conditions. Today, astronomers warn that the Milky Way is no longer visible to a third of humanity due to the significant impact of light pollution.
Star Visibility Decreasing at a Rapid Rate
The reported changes in visibility of stars are equivalent to a 9.6% increase in sky brightness every year. At this rate, a child born today will see less than half of the visible stars by the time they reach their 18th birthday.
Increasing Use of LED Lighting
The increasing use of light-emitting diodes/LEDs is contributing to this problem. LEDs and other forms of intense night-time lighting emit a blue-white light that is scattered into the atmosphere, causing skyglow and confusing sea turtles and migrating birds that use moonlight as their guide.
Consequences of Light Pollution
Ecological Dangers
The declining visibility of stars in the night sky has brought about ecological dangers. Light pollution is contributing to an “insect apocalypse,” as it has a major impact on how bug species move, search for food, reproduce, grow, and hide from predators.
Light Pollution Impacts Human Health
Light pollution obstructs starlight and sunlight that biological systems on earth rely on, which can have a negative effect on human health. It can increase the risk of sleep disorders, obesity, and depression. Since the introduction of fluorescent lighting and later LEDs, the red and infrared light parts of the electromagnetic spectrum have been removed from artificial lighting, and this is playing a part in the wave of obesity and the rise in diabetes cases.
Noisy Nights
Light pollution makes the nights noisy and dangerous with the loss of darkness used to hide criminal activities and increase accident rates on our roads. Light pollution also leads to a lack of quality sleep due to overexposure to light at night, which affects mental and physical health.
Solutions to Light Pollution
Minimizing Light Emittance of LEDs
To mitigate this problem, policies to help diminish light pollution have been proposed globally. Researchers are pushing a 2020 report detailing solutions, including appointing a minister for dark skies, creating a commission for dark skies, and setting strict standards for the density and direction of lighting. A simple fix is reducing the brightness of lights, shielding outdoor lights, and pointing them downwards, and ensuring that they are not predominantly blue-white but have red and orange components.
Conclusion
The increasing rate of light pollution and its consequences make it crucial for individuals and governments to take necessary actions to protect the environment and our health. The suggestions above should be adopted to help reduce light pollution and bring about more favorable conditions to the human body.
FAQs About Light Pollution
1. What is light pollution?
Light pollution is the brightening of the night sky by artificial lighting. The effect of artificial light causes the sky to brighten, thereby reducing the ability to see stars and other celestial objects.
2. What are the consequences of light pollution?
Light pollution obstructs starlight and sunlight that biological systems on earth rely on, which can have a negative effect on human health. It can increase the risk of sleep disorders, obesity, and depression. Light pollution also leads to a lack of quality sleep due to overexposure to light at night, increasing criminal activities and accident rates on our roads, and is contributing to an “insect apocalypse”.
3. How can we minimize light pollution?
A simple fix is reducing the brightness of lights, shielding outdoor lights, and pointing them downwards, and ensuring that they are not predominantly blue-white but have red and orange components. Policies to help diminish light pollution have been proposed globally.
4. How has the increasing use of LED lighting contributed to the problem of light pollution?
LEDs and other forms of intense night-time lighting emit a blue-white light that is scattered into the atmosphere, causing skyglow and confusing sea turtles and migrating birds that use moonlight as their guide.
5. Why is protecting dark skies important?
Protecting dark skies is essential because light pollution makes the nights noisy and dangerous, reduces the ability to see stars and other celestial objects, obstructs starlight and sunlight that biological systems on earth rely on, and has a negative effect on human health.