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January 2025: Fly to the Right. Light Pollution News.

Host:

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.

Glenn Heinmiller

Glenn Heinmiller is a principal at the architectural lighting design firm, Lam Partners. Utilizing his expertise in producing high-quality electric and daylighting solutions with minimized energy use and negative environmental impact, Glenn has designed daylight and electric lighting systems for a diverse range of projects, including research facilities and labs, academic/administrative buildings, student and faculty residences, athletic facilities, student centers, performing arts centers and libraries. As Chairman of the IALD Energy and Sustainability Committee, he manages the IALD’s participation in sustainability initiatives, and the review of and contribution to standards, regulations, and rating systems development. He is a LEED Accredited Professional and served as a USGBC Subject Matter Expert. He is the former instructor of the lighting design course at the Boston Architectural College, and lectures and writes on the subjects of light pollution control, lighting codes, and lighting energy efficiency. Glenn is also an expert on Massachusetts energy codes and utility incentive programs.

David Lefevre

David Lefevre lives in France near the Geneva Lake (where Deep Purple’s “Smoke on the Water” was written in 1972). Father of two boys, a musician who skis, paraglides and hikes in the mountains, where he usually brings his camera to shoot stars and the milky way at night. Lefevre works in Cybersecurity, Lefevre runs the informational website: https://rallumons-les-etoiles.eu/

Article List:

1. Reducing light pollution, this city ‘went dark’ to save birds — and it worked, Good Good Good.
2. Exposure to constant artificial light alters honey bee sleep rhythms and disrupts sleep, Scientific Reports.
3. Urban sensory conditions alter rival interactions and mate choice in urban and forest túngara frogs, Behavior Ecology.
4. Dimly illuminated nights alter behavior and negatively affect fat metabolism in adult male zebra finches, Photochemical & Photobiological Sciences.
5. The impacts of artificial light at night (ALAN) spectral composition on key behavioral traits of a sandy beach isopod, Marine Pollution Bulletin.
6. Michigan Deer Hunter Captures Jaw-Dropping Nighttime Photo, Tony LaBrie, WCRZ.
7. Human recreation influences activity of a large carnivore in an urban landscape, Biological Conservation.
8. Cool’ white car headlights more likely to dazzle moths, Science Daily.
9. ‘Lights Out’ initiative appears to be saving birds from crashing into Philly buildings, Sophia Schmidt, WHYY.
10. What do we know about mystery drones flying over New Jersey, New York and Pennsylvania?, Eleanor Watson, CBS News.
11. Town Pilots New Streetlights On Main Street To Combat Light Pollution, Nantucket Current.
12. DarkSky International launches new lighting policy templates for municipalities and territories, Drew Reagan, Dark Sky International.
13. Researcher finds AI could help improve city planning, Science Daily.
14. Ordinance Would Crack Down On Harsh Exterior Lights As Logan Square Residents Fight Rogue Neighbor, Ariel Parrella-Aureli, Block Club Chicago.
15. Dark sky advocates say nights becoming too bright, argue law needs updates, Cormac Dodd, Santa Fe New Mexican.
16. Council votes on compromise DarkSky ordinance, PRISCILLA WAGGONER, Valley Courier.
17. Federal Communications Commission, Brendan Carr, Project 2025.
18. SpaceX: Cellular Starlink Service Is Ready to Go, Michael Kan, PC Magazine.
19. Let There Be Broadband: SpaceX Lights Up Starlink in US National Radio Quiet Zone, Michael Kan, PC Magazine.
20. Six more West Virginia counties raise concerns over limitations of National Radio Quiet Zone, Brad McElhinny, WVMetroNews.
21. Space trash is falling from the sky. And that’s not the worst of it., Editorial Board, Washington Post.
22. Missouri park earns prestigious honor to join exclusive international list, Heidi Schmidt, KCTV5.
23. Bisbee, Arizona becomes an International Dark Sky Community, Drew Reagan, Dark Sky International.
24. Oregon Caves National Monument and Preserve, Drew Reagan, Dark Sky International.

Boy, 2025 is starting off on a strange note. Here at the time of the recording of this show, we have seen a spate of mysterious drone appearances – mostly at night. These nighttime drone appearances have been spotted from Connecticut down to DC.

My wife and I spotted a tight-knit v-formation of what looked like small drones, they could have been ducks, though they were so close in formation and lacked the typical undulation that it felt like they were mechanical. Now, we, nor anybody at the time of this recording can confirm what is going on. What may be clear,  given that the prevalence of cases involve proper navigation lighting, is that these appear to be by and large legal aircraft.

It’s yet another big ecology news month. As a reminder, you can find all of the ecology articles and news that we discuss on this and every show by heading over to our website at LightPollutionNews.com and clicking on the Ecology tab under Research and Links. Let’s get things started because we have an upbeat story to kick us off.

According to the Texas Conservation Alliance, bird fatalities were down in the Dallas-Fort Worth area. As of October 31^st (which admittedly was halfway through fall migration), bird counters – those people who volunteer to walk around known bird fatality hotspots, counted 42 bird fatalities, that’s 26 fewer during a similar timespan in 2023.

To put these numbers in context – Dallas-Fort Worth is one of a number of cities that participates in Lights Out – the program that enlists responsible businesses and building owners to do their part to help reduce bird fatalities during fall and spring migrations.

We had a story from WHYY Philadelphia last year citing an estimated 70% reduction in bird fatalities after many of the towers began participating in Lights Out.

The other big news – news flash, light pollution affects pollinators!!

First up –the University of Exeter looked at how the new bright–white LED headlights affect moths. It turns out that those blazing light bulbs blinded our flying brethren every bit as much as they do people – get this – moths were 80% more likely to exhibit an abnormal flight pattern in the presence of this light! Moths exposed to this type of light were 25 times more likely to erratically or fly directly toward the headlight.  The study found that simply switching the color of the LED to a warmer temperature “dramatically reduced their impact on moths.”

Next, In a study from Scientific Reports, researchers looked at how honey bees acted when exposed to two conditions: Constant Dark and Constant Light, and based this behavior on a separate control segment with standard day-night lighting. The experiment ran for five days and individual subject behavior was recorded using infrared cameras.

Researchers found that the bees appeared to have an aversion to constant nighttime light. Interestingly, constant darkness didn’t seem to have as much of an effect. The main impact was from always on light – which authors assert can either enter the hive or affect bees sleeping outside of the hive on hot nights. These bees also appeared to be more disturbed by their peers than standard day-night bees.

The light levels used in the study ranged from around, and I’ll use a comparable terminology that I think we’re all still quite familiar with – ranging in the constant light from 100 watt incandescent bulb to a 60 watt incandescent bulb towards the corners of the caging.

Some other ecology stories to note, and I’ll run through these real fast.

From Behavior Ecology, it’s found that light and noise pollution create impediments to how tungara frogs interact to find mates.

From Photochemical & Photobiological Sciences, adult zebra finches exposed to dim light at night for six weeks experienced a reduction in their metabolism, similar to how displaced circadian rhythms affected us humans. 

An article out of Marine Pollution Bulletin found that the invertebrate, the sandy beach isopod had its feeding behaviors and activity negatively impacted by artificial light at night. Despite changing the behavior of the insect, the isopods continued to grow. The most offensive lighting was white LEDs, however, all light impaired the motion and feeding behaviors of the isopod.

And lastly, it’s estimated that 70% of mammals are nocturnal, and apparently that list is growing. From Biological Conservation, researchers found that the corpuscular mountain lions, that is operating at dawn and dusk, are joining the nocturnal bandwagon when coexisting in human centric environments – environments that may incur greater human activity for hiking, biking, or other general outdoor activities.

On the street lights front, an interesting pilot program ran this past November in the town of Nantucket, Massachusetts. The community will be testing out responsible street lighting on part of its Main Street. The lights aim straight down, minimizing driver and pedestrian glare.  The goal is to look at replacements for the current decorative street lights in the main commercial center.

The testing ran for roughly two weeks and then solicited input from community members. The community also received a $75,000 grant from a community venture capital group – Remain. Nantucket passed a lighting bylaw last year – you may recall that we discussed that story around September of 2023.

Some big news out of Dark Sky International, with whom we’ve had a number of folks directly affiliated with the entity on the show before. Dark Sky International has put together a very helpful policy package for advocates, lighting designers, conservationists – you name it, to use to help craft responsible ordinances in your own community. The new lighting policy templates take into consideration technological advances in LEDs to promote positive effects in both lighting and the prevention of light trespass, sky glow, ecological degradation, etc.

Since we’re here, why not do a quick policy rundown this month:

• In Colorado, Alamosa City decided to dip its feet in creating a healthy nighttime environment. Rather than selecting more stringent ordinances that would put the community on a direct path to becoming a Dark Sky Community, the city council dialed the language back to see how well citizens take to some gentle nudges at first. Part of the issue appears to be the overall cost of transitioning to improved lighting and practices. For you at home who may be interested, the ordinance is “27-2024, an Ordinance Amending the Unified Development Code with Respect to Lighting.”
• A new ordinance is to be considered in Chicago after the recording of this show. The ordinance derives from a dispute between residents affected by new “stadium bright” panel LEDs that were put in by a neighboring building to illuminate an alleyway. The ordinance modification contains two clauses:
  • The color temperature has to be less than 3000K when illuminating public ways or adjacent properties.
  • The lighting must be positioned to avoid adjacent properties. 

Last month, we had Travis Longcore on, and he seemed to think that one of the problems with streetlight implementation derived from the weight of the overall data – specifically that it was impractical for communities to measure out the necessary lighting for each fixture – instead we’re stuck with these horrific one size fits all models of community lighting. 

From Science Daily, a Virginia Tech researcher is looking to apply large language models (LLMs) to city planning applications. The hope is that through utilizing an AI related system optimal decisions could be made for communities across all municipal applications. Obviously, and the article states this, the most important piece would be training the AI with good material, thereby hopefully leading to positive results.

Jumping over to satellite news, as many of you are aware, we recently experienced a transition of power here in the US, changing hands from the Biden Administration to a return of the Trump Administration – just the second time in US history a non-contiguous president returned to power.  If you’re looking to see a more broadened forecast of that effect, check out Dark Sky Consulting’s blog article titled ‘Dark Skies and the Second Trump Administration.’ They do an excellent job laying out what to expect.

And with that, as it pertains to satellites – expect to see some policy changes. I mention the transition to power because the Trump administration has nominated Brendan Carr to be the chairman of the Federal Communications Commission. As some of you may be aware, the FCC here in the US is charged with licensing commercial communication satellites, think Starlink and AST Mobile.

Now it doesn’t happen often that your new FCC Chairman lays out their plans of action in what essentially amounts to a manifesto. But that’s exactly what Carr did. This may be a glimpse of the future FCC under the Carr regime.

Per Project 2025, and I’m quoting directly from the manifesto,

“One of the most significant technological developments of the past few years has been the emergence of a new generation of low-earth orbit satellites like StarLink and Kuiper….This has the potential to significantly accelerate efforts to end the digital divide and disrupt the federal regulatory and subsidy regime that applies to communications networks. The FCC should expedite its work to support this new technology by acting more quickly in its review and approval of applications to launch new satellites. Otherwise, the U.S. risks ceding space leadership to entities based in countries with more friendly regulatory environments.”

At the same time, we don’t really have much of a plan for bringing decommissioned satellites back to Earth, beyond hoping that they fully burn up upon reentry.

There have been a number of notable satellite or space station debris that have landed on residences over the past few years. Low Earth Orbit makes up for the bulk of manmade space debris, with Russia, China and the US making up for 92% of the overall space junk that orbits Earth today.

Under Carr, it appears that we may be priming ourselves for a launch first, ask questions later, approach to satellite propagation.

Before you go. I know it’s that time of year when you at home are planning your family trips for 2025. So why not take some inspiration from the Independent, who list 5 of the best holiday stargazing destinations for this year!

First up, and I had the privilege of stargazing with a 15” dobsonian telescope off of Rainbow Point at Bryce Canyon, UT. This tops the list and I can certainly vouch for it. One of the most amazing experiences in my life! In fact, the Astronomical League is running its annual meeting / festival out of Bryce Canyon at the end of June. I highly recommend you take a look at that. I am a regional representative with the AL, but even so, I recommend you check out that event to see if it’s something right for you this summer. They have speakers, workshops, and, of course, you’ll have the chance to view the stars off of Rainbow Point (I think)!

Next, the article suggested Jokulsarlon [Yol-Kuhl-sar-Lon] Glacier Lagoon in Iceland. Followed by, Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park in South Africa. This area became a Dark Sky designated sanctuary in 2019 and also offers safari options.

Then they recommend heading over to the Netherlands, the wetland area, and I will butcher this, De Boschplaat. A dark sky park since 2015. Before finishing up at Cevennes National Park in France.

Let’s close out this month’s show with some recognitions.

• Congratulations to all the hard work Truman State University students did to bring the Urban Night Place designation to Thousand Hill State Park in Missouri!
• Cheers to Oregon Caves National Monument and Preserve becoming an International Dark Sky lace. We drove through this area and didn’t even know it a few years back – it was thoroughly burnt to a crisp, unfortunately – hopefully, the area is recovering well!
• Congratulations to Brisbee, AZ for becoming an International Dark Sky Community!