Okanagan’s Nature Nut – a nature blog by Roseanne Van Ee – October 27th, 2025

October 27th, 2025

Look Up: The Disappearing Night Sky

Head outside tonight and gaze at the sky. Can you see thousands of stars? The Milky Way? A shooting star? Do you remember seeing them as a child? If you still can, you’re among a lucky minority. I was captivated by the night sky growing up in Edmonton during the 1960s-’70s, and later from my acreage on Silver Star Road. But as the resort and city of Vernon grew, the stars slowly disappeared.

For most of human history, our ancestors could look up and see the Milky Way — a brilliant band of light stretching across the heavens. Today, light pollution has erased that view for much of the world. In fact, 80% of Canadians have never seen the Milky Way at all. Since the spread of electric lighting in the 1870s, outdoor illumination has grown at an accelerating pace. Astronomers first raised alarms in the 1970s, when skyglow began interfering with telescopic research. 

Since the 1990s, excess artificial light has been increasing by about 10% every year. While truly dark skies can still be found in remote regions, even those places are threatened. In a typical Canadian suburb, only a few hundred stars are visible out of the roughly 2,500 that should be seen. In cities, more than 95% of stars vanish under the glow of artificial lights. 

What Is Light Pollution?

Light pollution occurs when artificial lighting is excessive, misdirected, or unnecessary. Light that shines upward scatters in the atmosphere, creating a haze known as skyglow. Other sources include glaring streetlights, illuminated billboards, office towers, and over-lit residential areas. Communities often believe brighter lights mean safer streets, but research does not support this. In fact, excessive glare can reduce night vision, obscure hazards, and lower overall safety for drivers and pedestrians.

Impacts on Humans and Wildlife

Preserving the night sky isn’t just an aesthetic issue — it’s essential to the health of ecosystems and people alike. Beyond obscuring the stars, it disrupts the biological clocks of all life on Earth which evolved in balance with the natural day-night cycles of light and darkness.  Artificial light disrupts human sleep patterns and contributes to health problems linked to circadian rhythm disturbance. For wildlife, the impacts are profound:

• Birds: Millions of migrating birds die each year after becoming disoriented by city lights. They circle illuminated areas until exhausted or collide with buildings. I witnessed this in Oregon, where dozens of birds lay dead beneath a lighthouse one morning — a startling reminder of light’s deadly impact.
• Bats: Artificial lighting alters their feeding and flight patterns, sometimes dramatically reducing their activity.
• Insects: Moths, fireflies, and countless other insects are drawn to lamps where they become easy prey. Light interferes with moth reproduction, reduces caterpillar abundance (a vital food source for young birds), and disrupts fireflies’ bioluminescent mating signals.
• Fish: Juvenile salmon are lured into lit areas where predators await, and adults may even rely on star/moonlight for navigation to spawning grounds.
• Turtles: Adult females avoid bright beaches, leaving eggs unlaid. Hatchlings often crawl inland toward artificial lights instead of the water, with fatal results.
• Plants: Artificial light alters plant growth cycles, triggering early budding or flowering. This creates mismatches with the animals that depend on them, disrupting entire ecosystems.

Light pollution can even function as a form of habitat loss. Many animals simply avoid brightly lit areas, shrinking the spaces they can safely inhabit.

Environmental and Climate Costs

Beyond ecological harm, light pollution wastes vast amounts of energy and money. When powered by fossil fuels, this waste also worsens climate change. Unlike air or water pollution, however, light pollution is unique: once lights are turned off, their harmful effects vanish quickly.

Simple Solutions

Light pollution removal is fairly easy, straightforward and highly effective:

• Responsible Lighting: Choose fixtures designed to minimize glare and light spray. Support manufacturers that prioritize dark-sky–friendly designs.
• Shielding: Use downward-facing, shielded lights that illuminate only where needed.
• Dimmers, Timers & Motion Sensors: Control lighting so it’s only on when necessary.
• Color Temperature: Opt for warm-toned lights (such as amber), which are far less disruptive than harsh blue-white LEDs.
• Awareness: Educate others about light pollution and advocate for better lighting practices in your community.

A dark night sky inspires wonder, sustains healthy life and the delicate balances of ecology.  Protecting it is not only possible but surprisingly simple: all it takes is less light.  Take steps to help out.  Saving the Night by Stephen Aitken is an amazing, short but impressive starter book for teens and adults on the importance of night darkness for all life on Earth.  Everyone should read this!  Our library has it.