Did you ever see the movie Lakeview Terrace with Samuel L. Jackson, where the lights around his house shone into his neighbour’s bedroom? That’s called light pollution – specifically, light trespassing.
“The inappropriate or excessive use of artificial light – known as light pollution – can have serious environmental consequences for humans, wildlife, and our climate. Components of light pollution include:
- Glare – excessive brightness that causes visual discomfort
- Skyglow – brightening of the night sky over inhabited areas
- Light trespass – light falling where it is not intended or needed
- Clutter – bright, confusing and excessive groupings of light sources”
Information in this post was taken from Darksky.org, and the podcast Stuff to Blow Your Mind: Are we better off in the dark? – which served as my introduction to light pollution.
I’ve provided the bare minimum. I encourage you to visit darksky.org; there’s so much more to learn. The article on light pollution also provides links to some sweet interactive maps.
Learn more about International Dark Sky Week – Runs from Apr 19 to Apr 26.
Sam
You can tell how light pollution affects your area by using one of the interactive maps provided by Dark Sky or “… by counting the stairs in Orion’s constellation.“
“In urban areas, you can see about 11; in regions with less light, rural areas or areas known for stargazing, you can see as many as 50. Light pollution affects astronomer’s ability to do their job because artificial light interferes with their instruments.”
“Baby sea turtles are affected by light pollution. When they hatch on the beach, they should be using the moonlight to get to the ocean, but the artificial light confuses them and they go in the wrong direction.“
“Owls are also affected, when there’s too much light the nocturnal animals they hunt don’t come out of hiding.”
palmsupward.com 
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