Light Pollution is the excessive and inappropriate use of outdoor light at night that has serious environmental consequences for humans, wildlife, and our climate. Sources include things like residential and commercial interior and exterior lighting, advertising, and streetlights.
These types of outdoor lights are often inefficient, meaning they are brighter than needed, poorly targeted, and improperly shielded. At times, they are also completely unnecessary. This inappropriate use of outdoor light at night leads to an increase in sky brightness.
This means most of us, including plants and animals, no longer experience truly dark nights, and artificial light at night overpowers the darkness. This disrupts the natural day-night pattern, shifting the delicate balance of our environment.
If you’ve ever stepped outside at night and looked up, it probably felt like you were seeing the night sky. A few bright stars, maybe a familiar constellation or two, and that’s it. For most people, that is the night sky they know, but it’s only a small fraction of what’s actually there. Over time,…
This summer, we traded in our usual short camping trips for a big adventure: three weeks on the road to Newfoundland. We drove more than 6,000 KM (3,728 miles), stayed at 12 campgrounds, hiked trails, worked from the road, visited breweries, and explored new cities – all with Rudy in tow. This was…
Astrophotography is all about capturing the beauty of the night sky, but choosing the right location is just as important as your gear. So, how do you find the best places to shoot the stars when you don’t have the benefit of living under dark skies? Here’s everything you need to know to choose the…
The term light pollution is more widely recognized these days. More people are starting to realize that lighting up the night isn’t always a good thing — but that hasn’t exactly slowed us down. We’re still filling the night sky with more and more artificial light every year. For many, it remains an issue that’s…
If you are like me, you spend most of your time photographing deep-sky objects from your backyard. While I love a good dark sky trip, the backyard is where the majority of my astrophotography projects take place. The backyard is a convenient option for an impulsive night of astrophotography, but what are we missing out…
After rejection a year ago, the Scientific and Technical subcommittee of the United Nations Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space (COPUOS) has agreed to add the issue of satellite constellations as an agenda item for further discussion. It will be addressed as ‘Dark and Quiet Skies, astronomy and large constellations: addressing emerging issues…
As an amateur astrophotographer or astronomer, there is a good chance you first started exploring the night sky in your backyard. The backyard is where I spend the most time under the stars, and my first experiences exploring the night sky with a telescope happened there. Your backyard may not be the ideal place for…
Have you ever looked at a brightly lit building or street light in your neighborhood and thought it was excessive? You know, light shining in all directions or perhaps in your bedroom window, rather than only lighting up the intended area. That is light pollution. Light pollution is misdirected excess/obtrusive outdoor artificial light in a…