2025 Holiday Potluck., Light Pollution News
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This Episode:
Happy Holidays friends! It’s our annual Holiday Potluck show! This is the show where guests return to discuss their favorite stories of 2025!
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Host:
Guests:
John Barentine
John Barentine is an astronomer, historian, author, science communicator, and dark-sky consultant. He earned a Ph.D. in astronomy from the University of Texas and is a member of the American Astronomical Society, the International Astronomical Union, and the Royal Astronomical Society. His interests include history, politics, and law.
Yana Yakushina
Yana Yakushina is a lawyer, researcher, and dark sky protection educator. Yakushina is actively involved in initiatives related to light pollution mitigation and space law. Yakushina has successfully participated in international legal research projects, collaborating with organizations such as the EU Commission, Dark-Sky International, and the International Astronomical Union, among others.
Currently pursuing a PhD at the University of Ghent (Belgium) as part of the Horizon EU project – PLAN-B, Yakushina is shaping the legal framework for recognizing light pollution as a critical environmental concern. Yakushina also serves as one of the scientific coordinators of the project with the main task of strengthening efforts to establish a robust legal framework for addressing the negative effects of Artificial Light at Night (ALAN) on the environment and biodiversity.
On the space law front, Yakushina serves as the Deputy Executive Director at the Space Court Foundation Inc. Additionally, in 2023, Yakushina became a co-founder of the Belgian dark sky protection organization – Living Night.
Steve Mariconda
Steve Mariconda, MPH, is a DarkSky Delegate and member of the New Jersey chapter. He educates the public about light pollution and responsible lighting practices. He recently received a Master of Public Health (MPH) degree from Rutgers School of Public Health and is the chair of the Saddle Brook Green Team. He is an outdoors enthusiast and musician.
Michael Calhoun
Michael Calhoun is an environmental activist from Vernonia, Oregon. He has worked on a number of conservation projects ranging from tree preservation to trail advocacy. Michael is currently Board Chair of the Columbia Soil & Water Conservation District. Michael is a past recipient of the Oregon Urban & Community Forestry Award from the Oregon Department of Forestry.
Dr. Mario Motta
Dr. Motta had been in practice at North Shore Medical Center in Salem, Massachusetts, since
1983, recently retiring in 2022. He is a graduate of Boston College, with a BS in physics and
biology, and of Tufts Medical School. He is board certified in Internal medicine and Cardiology
and is a fellow of the American College of Cardiology, and of the American Society of Nuclear
Cardiology. He is an associate professor of medicine at Tufts University School of Medicine.
Dr. Motta has long been active in organized medicine, both in the American Medical Association (AMA) and in the Massachusetts Medical Society (MMS), holding a number of posts through the years. He is a past President of the MMS. He was elected and served 8 years on the AMA Council of Science and Public Health, and then was elected to the Board of Trustees of the AMA in 2018, recently completing his term. In May of 2023 at its annual meeting, the MMS awarded Dr Motta its highest honor, the “Award for Distinguished Service.”
Dr Motta also has a lifelong interest in astronomy and has hand built a number of telescopes
and observatories through the years to do astronomical research, including his entirely
homemade 32 inch F6 relay telescope located in Gloucester, MA. He has been awarded several
national awards in astronomy, including the Las Cumbras award from the Astronomical Society
of the Pacific in 2003, the Walter Scott Houston Award from the Northeast section of the Astronomical League, and in 2017 the Henry Olcott Award from the American Association of
Variable star Observers (AAVSO). He has served as a president of the ATM’s of Boston, and
has served as a council member of the AAVSO, and is a past president as well. He has also
served on the Board of the IDA. He has worked on light pollution issues and published several
white papers on LP as a member of the AMA council of science and public health. He served on
a UN committee (COPUOS) representing the AMA on light pollution for a worldwide effort to
control LP and satellite proliferation. Finally, several years ago the International Astronomical
Union awarded Dr Motta an asteroid in part for his work on light pollution as well as amateur
research, asteroid 133537MarioMotta.
Special Guest: Supporter Patrick Sommer.
Article List:
- Citizen science illuminates the nature of city lights, Nature Cities.
- Personal night light exposure predicts incidence of cardiovascular diseases in >88,000 individuals, Jama Network.
- Light Pollution as Antichrist, Columba Silva, The Imaginative Conservative.
- Federation Chamber | 24/11/2025, Australian Parliament House Streaming Portal.
- Lincoln City Hopes to Become First on Oregon Coast Designated Dark Sky Community, Oregon Coast Beach Connection.
- Adirondack residents work to preserve dark skies, Holly Riddle, Adirondack Explorer.
- Hopewell Neighbors Work Together for Darker Skies, Carolyn Jones, Mercer Me.
- Dark Sky Week deemed dangerous, fails in North Dakota Senate, Jeff Beach, North Dakota Monitor.
Light Pollution News: Holiday Potluck Highlights:
German citizen scientists catalog 234,000 urban light sources, revealing advertising and decorative lights outnumber streetlights in city centers
A groundbreaking citizen science study used the Nachtlichter mobile app to identify and classify light pollution sources across 22 square kilometers in Germany. Volunteers documented that advertising and aesthetic lighting exceed street lighting in urban centers, with an estimated 78 million individual lights remaining on at midnight nationwide. The research demonstrates how ground-level data collection can translate satellite observations into actionable policy guidance, highlighting significant energy-saving potential for municipalities.
Landmark study links nighttime light exposure to 23-56% increased cardiovascular disease risk across 88,000+ UK adults
Research analyzing 13 million hours of personal light exposure data reveals people experiencing the brightest nights face dramatically higher risks of heart attack (47%), heart failure (56%), stroke (28-30%), and atrial fibrillation (28-32%) compared to those sleeping in darkness. The 9.5-year study, which tracked wrist-worn light sensors, demonstrates light pollution as an independent cardiovascular risk factor beyond traditional factors like diet, smoking, and exercise. Effects were particularly pronounced in women for heart failure and younger individuals for atrial fibrillation.
Theological essay examines light pollution as spiritual deception that obscures divine creation and humanity’s cosmic place
Catholic writer Columba Silva argues modern light pollution represents a form of the Antichrist’s deception by creating false paradises that elevate human creation over divine design. By obscuring the night sky that historically connected humans to cosmic wonder, artificial lighting severs spiritual relationships with creation while promoting technological hubris. The essay draws on Catholic theology to position excessive illumination as a counterfeit of the Heavenly Jerusalem’s eternal light, disconnecting modern society from natural darkness that historically inspired awe and humility.
Australian Parliament considers national light pollution legislation following 12,000-signature petition
Member for Makin Tony Zappia presented a motion in the Federation Chamber calling for investigation into national light pollution reduction legislation. The Australasian Dark Sky Alliance initiative, supported by over 12,000 petition signatures, seeks to establish lighting standards similar to France and Germany’s successful models. The motion emphasizes light pollution as an easily reversible environmental issue affecting biodiversity, energy consumption, and public health, positioning Australia to join 20+ countries with national lighting protection laws.
Central Oregon coast town pursues International Dark Sky certification to boost tourism and wildlife protection
Lincoln City embarked on a multi-phase certification process with Dark Sky International to become the Oregon Coast’s first designated Dark Sky Community. With lower light pollution than comparable coastal cities like Astoria and Newport, the initiative combines environmental stewardship with economic development through astrotourism. Located in the UNESCO Cascade Head Biosphere Region, the community conducted lighting audits and public education campaigns, emphasizing that 80% of Americans can no longer see the Milky Way from home.
Grassroots movement fights light pollution encroachment in one of Eastern U.S.’s last remaining dark sky refuges
Community activists like Joy Koch lead efforts to preserve the Adirondacks’ distinctive dark sky status, visible as a “black doughnut hole” on satellite imagery of the Eastern United States. Schroon Lake adopted comprehensive dark sky planning, while Tupper Lake pursues International Dark Sky Association designation through the Adirondack Sky Center. Despite New York’s 2014 Dark Skies Bill regulating state lighting fixtures, advocates stress the need for local action to protect nocturnal wildlife, tourism opportunities, and the region’s naturally dark skies rated Class 2 on the Bortle Scale.
New Jersey community tackles light trespass through grassroots education and practical lighting retrofits
DarkSky Hopewell, formed in 2024, addresses widespread light pollution in Hopewell Valley through community collaboration and economical lighting solutions. Residents facing severe light trespass—including bedroom flooding from neighboring properties—partnered with local businesses like Hopewell Village Square to retrofit fixtures with shields and appropriate lighting. The initiative follows DarkSky International’s five principles: useful, targeted, low-level, controlled, and warm-colored lighting. With New Jersey poised to become the 21st state enacting light pollution protections, the grassroots movement reflects growing statewide momentum driven by environmental commissions and municipal green teams.
Safety concerns defeat voluntary light pollution awareness resolution despite environmental and wildlife benefits
North Dakota Senate rejected Dark Sky Week legislation 29-17 amid safety concerns, despite supporters emphasizing voluntary participation and benefits for 450 million migratory birds crossing the state. Senator Tim Mathern’s resolution aimed to educate residents about light pollution’s impacts on wildlife navigation, energy consumption, and human health during April’s peak migration season. Opposition centered on perceived public safety risks, with Senator Todd Beard arguing cities and businesses would create hazards by reducing lighting, though the measure specified only “unnecessary” lights.
