Polluting the Earth by Light

Polluting the Earth by Light

        Some people may know what light pollution is, I would say that most people don’t even know that this is a problem. The world as humans become so out of tune with the side effects of things that makes life easier. Light pollution to some may be seen as a big problem, but to others it is deemed as a minor problem compared to other types of pollution that may be considered more serious problems.

        Light pollution is defined as excessive or inappropriate outdoor lighting. It is a growing problem that affects not only us as humans but also wildlife and natural habitats. There are four commonly used terms for light pollution; glare, sky glow, light trespass and clutter are used to describe light pollution. Glare is excessive brightness that causes visual discomfort. This usually happens when lights aim directly into people’s eyes, in other words you can see straight into the source of the light. Sky glow is the brightening of the night sky over inhabited areas. Light trespass is when light is falling where it is not intended, wanted or needed. Clutter is bright, confusing and excessive groupings of light sources. Having streetlights too close together is a good example of clutter. Sky glow and clutter is what obscures our ability to see the stars at night The glow of uncontrolled outdoor lighting has hidden the stars and changed our perception of the night sky. People everywhere are losing the ability to see planets and stars in the night sky.

        Some people believe that light pollution in comparison with air pollution or water pollution is just a benign problem. Most people say that it doesn’t concern really anyone, just astronomers who need to be far away from large cities in order to see the stars and planets clearly. Some people will argue that pollution implies contributing detrimentally to another system's well being and that having artificial light is not harming anyone but it is actually helping keep people safe by being able to see in places when it would normally be too dark to see.