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Your Online Guide To Light Pollution

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Light pollution is becoming an issue that more people are becoming aware of with growing concern. Light pollution by definition is the adverse effects of excessive artificial light. It includes the alteration of natural light both outdoors and indoors. It makes seeing the stars in the night sky almost impossible in bigger cities, as well as interfering with the observation of the night sky for astronomers. It is also disrupting our ecosystems, and can have adverse effects on our wildlife. There have been studies that show that light pollution can also have negatives effects on our health.


Glare is the light that shines into a drivers eyes as they drive down the road. Glare can be very dangerous because it causes reduced visibility while driving, and is the cause of many accidents. An example glare would be the lights on a neighborhood street that shine directly down into a drivers eyes. These lights are there with the intent of increasing the security in a neighborhood, when they are actually reducing it because both drivers and pedestrians can’t see well. There are two kinds of glare; blinding glare and disability glare. Both kinds can be dangerous for drivers and pedestrians alike.

Utah Skies
Light Pollution and Glare
Glare and what you can do
Information about Light Pollution
Glare vs. Skyglow

Light Clutter

Light clutter is the excessive grouping of lights. It can cause confusion as well as distract people from obstacles. Light clutter can lead to accidents both on the road and in the sky. It is found along roads where there are many brightly lit advertisements or even just streetlights that are not designed properly. On runways, the lights of nearby commercial lighting can cause light clutter. This causes confusion for pilots trying to land planes.

Light Pollution: Clutter
Picture of New York light clutter
Light clutter and other kinds of light pollution
Light clutter and other light pollution
Picture of light clutter in Florida

Light Trespass

Light trespass is unwanted light on other people’s property. For example, a house in a neighborhood has a bright light on their house that shines brightly into the window of their neighbor’s home. Light trespass can cause sleep deprivation. There are many cities and towns in the U.S. that now have standards and ordinances in respect to outdoor lighting. A simple change in light fixtures can be the first step in reducing light trespass.

Facts about Light Pollution
Light tresspass
Explanation of light trespass
What is light trespass?
Lighting to avoid light trespass


The concept of over-illumination is simply excessive light. Over-illumination can include the amount of light used in areas both when they are occupied and unoccupied. There are studies that show that over-illumination can lead to adverse health effects including headaches, stress, and high blood pressure. One of the biggest causes of over-illumination is light in unoccupied rooms. Many commercial buildings keep the lights on even when the workforce has gone for the day. This results in a large amount of wasted energy.

Types of light pollution
Information about over- illumination
Lighting and over-Illumination
Definition of over-Illumination

Sky Glow

Sky glow is the effect that looks like an orange glow in the sky that is seen over highly populated places. It is a combination of all the light reflecting and escaping up to the sky, and then being redirected by the atmosphere back down towards the earth. Sky glow is measured on a scale with nine classes. The night sky is rated according to how dark it is and how visible the sky glow is. The best way to reduce sky glow it to choose lights that limit amount of light that reflects up.

The effects of sky glow
Using photography to measure sky glow
Urban sky glow
Sky glow
Negative effects of sky glow

Consequences of Light Pollution

Light pollution consequences and ways to reduce
How light pollution effects astronomers
Medical problems associated with light pollution
The effects of light pollution on wildlife

Resources for Reducing Light Pollution

The new rules of light pollution
Light pollution- the problem
Dark Sky
Eight tips for reducing light pollution
Light pollution resources

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