Birds, insects, mammals, and even humans, evolved a circadian rhythm. The balance between day and night has tipped decidedly toward 24 hour daytime. Below are estimated impacts by the International Dark Sky Association.
Light Pollution News
A bi-monthly podcast that looks at all of the topics in and around our nighttime environment.
Host, Bill McGeeney, is joined by three guests to help walk you through the news around how artificial light at night impacts human culture, crime, and our environment. The path to neighborhood friendly starry night solutions begin with being a more informed you!
Featured Episodes
October 2026: Luminance Lace!
Host: Bill McGeeney
Guests:
- Diane Turnshek, Astronomer and Researcher
- Steve Mariconda, Dark Sky New Jersey
- Gina Pearson, Dark Sky Land, Inc.
It’s Light Pollution News! This month, I’m welcomed by New Jersey’s own, Steve Mariconda; from the city of Pittsburgh, I welcome back to the show, Diane Turnshek; and board member for Dark Sky Land , among many other past and current responsibilities, Gina Pearson!
This episode, New Hampshire mourned September 11th 25th anniversary in a monumental manner! What to make of some of these insect studies? And, are you looking for a Dark Sky site in Thailand? We can help clarify what it all means!
We have a packed episode this month that you won’t want to miss! Let’s go!
October 2026: A Sparkle of Starlinks!
Host: Bill McGeeney
Guests:
- Diane Turnshek, Astronomer and Researcher
- Steve Mariconda, Dark Sky New Jersey
- Gina Pearson, Dark Sky Land, Inc.
It’s another Light Pollution News! This episode, we deconstruct everyone’s favorite satellite constellation, Reflect Orbital, and what it all means for our sense of wonder. The Dark Sky bill in New York stalls out. And what if I told you…maybe you weren’t crazy for thinking some headlights were too bright!
Joining me for this episode is Pittsburgh’s own Diane Turnshek; from Dark Sky New Jersey, Steve Mariconda; and Dark Sky Land’s Gina Pearson!
November 2026: Ignore Ecological Light Pollution!
Host: Bill McGeeney
Guests:
- Ari Isaak, EvariLabs
- Joshua Sokol, Freelance Journalist
Hey there, it’s time for another episode of Light Pollution News! You won’t want to miss this one. This episode, I’m joined by two amazing guests. From the Once and Future Night Substack, I welcome author Josh Sokol to the show! And from EvariLABs, I welcome Air Isaak!
Do we let our feelings get ahead of us on headlight glare? And we get a little inside baseball on utility companies and lighting. Plus we have a big crime study to discuss!
It’s a show that you won’t want to miss! Let’s jump right in!
Ecology News
The data on how Artificial Light at Night impacts the world around us is inescapable. Artificial light at Night scrambles the timing and navigation cues that wildlife depend on. It makes up the largest portion of monthly Light Pollution news.
All subjects
- Articles
- 527
- Subjects
- 9
Episode with the most articles
Select a slice of the chart, or a name in the list, to see that subject on its own.
Insect & arthropod articles
- Articles
- 137
- Of the chart
- 26%
Topics include fireflies, moths, pollinators, mosquitoes, and spiders
Episode with the most articles on this subject
Latest articles
- Mosquitoes, light pollution, and why we can’t have nice things (opens in a new tab) Episode: Chipping Away at the Public Commons
- Citizen science reveals temporally structured insect attraction and mitigation efficacy under artificial light at night (opens in a new tab) Episode: Chipping Away at the Public Commons
- What sprawling light pollution does to fireflies (opens in a new tab) Episode: Chipping Away at the Public Commons
- After dark, corners of Great Smoky Mountains glow with bioluminescence (opens in a new tab) Episode: Chipping Away at the Public Commons
- Endangered bogong moths swarming into homes across NSW (opens in a new tab) Episode: Chipping Away at the Public Commons
General & policy articles
- Articles
- 91
- Of the chart
- 17.3%
Topics include policy, methods, and ecosystem studies
Episode with the most articles on this subject
Latest articles
- Understanding and managing ecological light pollution (opens in a new tab) Episode: Chipping Away at the Public Commons
- The Night That Never Darkens: How Artificial Light Is Rewriting Biology, Margaret Porter (opens in a new tab) Episode: Chipping Away at the Public Commons
- A satellite-based geospatial framework for screening potential artificial light at night exposure in rice-growing landscapes: a nationwide… (opens in a new tab) Episode: Luminance Lace
- Light Pollution Has Serious Impacts on Wildlife (opens in a new tab) Episode: Solar Days
- About the Collection | Ecological effects of artificial light at night (opens in a new tab) Episode: Solar Days
Bird articles
- Articles
- 115
- Of the chart
- 21.8%
Topics include migrations, building collisions, seabirds, owls, and songbirds
Episode with the most articles on this subject
Latest articles
- White light reduces flight height of birds in low‐density migration corridor (opens in a new tab) Episode: Chipping Away at the Public Commons
- Population-level impacts of reducing artificial light at night across an entire migratory corridor (opens in a new tab) Episode: Chipping Away at the Public Commons
- Short-term exposure to artificial light at night has little effect on parental provisioning or nestling growth in a breeding aerial insecti… (opens in a new tab) Episode: Chipping Away at the Public Commons
- Rachel Carson State Office Building is joining Lights Out Harrisburg from August 15 to November 15! We’re dimming or turning off lights bet… (opens in a new tab) Episode: Luminance Lace
- Nebraska community college works with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to reduce bird collisions (opens in a new tab) Episode: Luminance Lace
Marine & freshwater life articles
- Articles
- 50
- Of the chart
- 9.5%
Topics include corals, oysters, crustaceans, plankton, and seagrass.
Episode with the most articles on this subject
Latest articles
- Artificial Light at Night reshapes nocturnal activity patterns in a coastal amphipod at sky-glow (opens in a new tab) Episode: Chipping Away at the Public Commons
- A proposed methodology for defining the criteria of ‘Good Environmental Status’ for artificial light at night in marine waters (opens in a new tab) Episode: Chipping Away at the Public Commons
- Study highlights the European waters at greatest risk of harmful light pollution (opens in a new tab) Episode: Chipping Away at the Public Commons
- Transcriptomic Insights into the Life History and Population Responses of Brachionus plicatilis to Artificial Light at Night (opens in a new tab) Episode: Luminance Lace
- Q&A: Listening with light—an innovative new technology for studying the seafloor (opens in a new tab) Episode: Solar Days
Plant & soil articles
- Articles
- 32
- Of the chart
- 6.1%
Topics include pollen seasons, tree phenology, earthworms, and crops
Episode with the most articles on this subject
Latest articles
- Growth and Phenological Responses of Rice to Artificial Light at Night (opens in a new tab) Episode: Chipping Away at the Public Commons
- Artificial light at night extends pollen season and elevates allergen exposure (opens in a new tab) Episode: Solar Days
- Thermal imaging as a tool for studying circadian rhythms in roots (opens in a new tab) Episode: Solar Days
- Chlorophyll a fluorescence and biochemical analyses to probe the impacts of artificial light at night on certain ornamental plant species (opens in a new tab) Episode: I Miss My Land Line
- Time after time: a quarter century of progress in plant circadian biology (opens in a new tab) Episode: Let the Bats Be Themselves
Fish articles
- Articles
- 30
- Of the chart
- 5.7%
Topics include reef fish, zebrafish, salmon, sharks, and more.
Episode with the most articles on this subject
Latest articles
- Impact of light pollution on fishes: Mechanisms and ecological consequences (opens in a new tab) Episode: Chipping Away at the Public Commons
- Scientists Got Clownfish To Watch A VR Horror Movie – Their Reaction Revealed How Artificial Light At Night Changes Their Physiology (opens in a new tab) Episode: Luminance Lace
- Virtual reality fish platform offers insights into the impact of artificial light on aquatic life (opens in a new tab) Episode: Solar Days
- Artificial light pollution disrupts sleep and neuronal genomic stability in wild reef fish (opens in a new tab) Episode: Sustainable Regeneration? Or is it Regenerative Sustainability?
- Artificial light is keeping reef fish awake, and the effects may ripple across coral reefs, Stephanie Baum (opens in a new tab) Episode: Sustainable Regeneration? Or is it Regenerative Sustainability?
Bat articles
- Articles
- 24
- Of the chart
- 4.6%
Topics include foraging, roosting, and manmade impediments.
Episode with the most articles on this subject
Latest articles
- How Bats Keep Agave Alive: The Nighttime Pollinators Behind Tequila (opens in a new tab) Episode: Sustainable Regeneration? Or is it Regenerative Sustainability?
- Effects of nominal 2700 K amber LED with a blue cut filter and 4000 K white LED on nightly activity of light-naïve New Zealand long-tailed… (opens in a new tab) Episode: I Miss My Land Line
- Light and ultrasonic noise pollution displaces trawling Daubenton’s bats (opens in a new tab) Episode: Let the Bats Be Themselves
- Assessing the benefits of part-night lighting on a tropical bat species endemic to Reunion Island (opens in a new tab) Episode: Let the Bats Be Themselves
- Minimizing aviation lighting duration reduces bat attraction to wind turbines (opens in a new tab) Episode: Connection
Other mammal articles
- Articles
- 25
- Of the chart
- 4.7%
Topics include carnivores, rodents, primates, and more.
Episode with the most articles on this subject
Latest articles
- Exposure to Dim Light at Night Impairs Photoperiodic and Metabolic Gene Expression in Syrian Hamsters (opens in a new tab) Episode: Solar Days
- Shedding light on the dark: Does artificial illumination affect mammal activity at waterholes in sub‐Saharan Africa? (opens in a new tab) Episode: I Miss My Land Line
- Artificial light is reshaping caracal behavior, limiting where the South African wild cat can hunt (opens in a new tab) Episode: Mandate Controls
- Dominance means less sleep at nights for baboons (opens in a new tab) Episode: Connection
- Optimising nocturnal mammal surveys in tropical forests: when red light is the key (opens in a new tab) Episode: 1 Lux
Reptile & amphibian articles
- Articles
- 23
- Of the chart
- 4.4%
Topics include sea turtles, frogs, lizards, and newts
Episode with the most articles on this subject
Latest articles
- How light pollution threatens wildlife on the Gulf Coast (opens in a new tab) Episode: Chipping Away at the Public Commons
- LED Light at Night Alters Amphibian Redox Physiology and Development across Ontogeny (opens in a new tab) Episode: Chipping Away at the Public Commons
- 125 sea turtle hatchlings disoriented on Folly Beach (opens in a new tab) Episode: Chipping Away at the Public Commons
- Sea turtles rescued from Indian Rocks Beach storm drain, improper lighting blamed (opens in a new tab) Episode: Luminance Lace
- Georgetown County has a lighting ordinance to protect sea turtles. Will anyone enforce it? (opens in a new tab) Episode: Solar Days
Read the Yearly Reviews
2025 Ecology Review Soil and insects, seabird and migrant mortality, marine imbalances, and conservation and policy progress. Read the 2025 review → 2024 Ecology Review Wildlife behavior, ecological consequences, human interventions and cultural considerations. Read the 2024 review → All Ecological News The full running list of studies and stories, grouped by episode. Browse every article →
Helpful Tips!
Solution to Reduce Light Pollution: 10 Easy Ways
When we start thinking about the issue of light pollution, like many other environmental issues, it can seem like an impossible problem to fix. Luckily, light pollution is technically the most easily reversible form of pollution. If you are interested in reducing light pollution, the best way to start is at home. We have 10 easy steps you can follow to inventory your home lighting to decrease the amount of light pollution coming from your home.
How Many Lumens Do You Need for Outdoor Lighting?
When installing or replacing outdoor lights, brightness of the lights (lumens) is an important factor that needs to be considered. The amount of lumens needed will depend on the application. This will range from 12-800 lumens depending on the purpose of the light.
We recommend going on the lower end when possible, this will not only save on energy costs, but it will help to decrease your contribution to light pollution. You can also add additional lights, or go with a brighter light bulb if you find you need a brighter light for your outdoor lighting.
Best Outdoor Lighting Ideas for Your Backyard Landscape.
Many people put a lot of time, money, and effort into their outdoor spaces. Lights are a great way to enjoy your outdoor living space at all times of the day. We believe that less is more when it comes to lighting. Too much lighting and everything will be bathed in a generic glow, the play of light and shadows allows for a much more dramatic effect and will allow certain areas and features to be highlighted. We have some great dark sky friendly lighting options for all your outdoor lighting needs.
Do We Need All Of That Light?
Protect Our Night
Annual Estimated Cost of Exterior Lighting
50B USD
US Department of Energy Estimated Percentage Resulting in Wasted Light
99%
Annual American Consumption of Outdoor Lighting.
308 tWH