light pollution
Light pollution
Light pollution, also known as photo pollution or luminous pollution, is excessive artificial light. This phenomenon is pronounced around urban centers, where city lights diminish the view of stars and planets. In addition to brightened skies around cities, light pollution also refers to any outdoor light that creates glare and interferes with the natural night environment.
Cause
Light pollution results from outdoor lights aimed upward or sideways --- the light scatters in the atmosphere and reflects back to the ground. The result is sky glow. Particles in the atmosphere are responsible for light pollution by increasing the amount of light scatter.
Effects
Light pollution is a major concern for observatories as lights from urban areas compete with lights from stars and planets, reducing visibility of the objects that observatories study. This type of pollution also affects wildlife and plants. Night lights disorient hatching sea turtles, migrating birds and nocturnal animals. Lights attract insects, which may in turn interfere with pollination of nocturnal flowers. Health effects of over-illumination or improper spectral composition of light may include: increased headache incidence, worker fatigue, medically defined stress and increase in anxiety. Light pollution can prevent the production of melatonin and low melatonin levels can increase cancer risks.
Reduction
Reducing light pollution implies many things, such as reducing sky glow, reducing glare, reducing light trespass, and reducing clutter. The method for best reducing light pollution depends on exactly what the problem is in any given instance. Possible solutions include:
Utilizing light sources of minimum intensity necessary to accomplish the light's purpose.
Turning lights off using a timer or manually when not needed.
Improving lighting fixtures, so that they
Light pollution, also known as photo pollution or luminous pollution, is excessive artificial light. This phenomenon is pronounced around urban centers, where city lights diminish the view of stars and planets. In addition to brightened skies around cities, light pollution also refers to any outdoor light that creates glare and interferes with the natural night environment.
Cause
Light pollution results from outdoor lights aimed upward or sideways --- the light scatters in the atmosphere and reflects back to the ground. The result is sky glow. Particles in the atmosphere are responsible for light pollution by increasing the amount of light scatter.
Effects
Light pollution is a major concern for observatories as lights from urban areas compete with lights from stars and planets, reducing visibility of the objects that observatories study. This type of pollution also affects wildlife and plants. Night lights disorient hatching sea turtles, migrating birds and nocturnal animals. Lights attract insects, which may in turn interfere with pollination of nocturnal flowers. Health effects of over-illumination or improper spectral composition of light may include: increased headache incidence, worker fatigue, medically defined stress and increase in anxiety. Light pollution can prevent the production of melatonin and low melatonin levels can increase cancer risks.
Reduction
Reducing light pollution implies many things, such as reducing sky glow, reducing glare, reducing light trespass, and reducing clutter. The method for best reducing light pollution depends on exactly what the problem is in any given instance. Possible solutions include:
Utilizing light sources of minimum intensity necessary to accomplish the light's purpose.
Turning lights off using a timer or manually when not needed.
Improving lighting fixtures, so that they