#light-pollution — Public Fediverse posts
Live and recent posts from across the Fediverse tagged #light-pollution, aggregated by home.social.
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What happens to human vision when space mirror constellations illuminate the night sky? A new paper by CSE's own @salvabara breaks down the optical safety risks of orbital reflectors.
Read the full preprint on Zenodo:
https://zenodo.org/records/22680934#SpaceSustainability #SpaceMirrors #LightPollution #Optics #EyeSafety #SunlightAsAService #ReflectOrbital
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The European Light Pollution Coalition launched their website earlier this month, check it out: https://lightpollutioncoalition.eu/
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#GorhamME officials consider permanent ban on #Datacenters
Several cities and towns in Maine already have moratoriums on data centers, and others are looking to do the same.
by WGME Staff, Fri, September 4, 2026
GORHAM (WGME) -- "The Town of Gorham is considering a permanent ban on data centers.
"The town already passed a moratorium in June, temporarily banning them.
"On Tuesday, town councilors voted unanimously to have the planning board schedule a public hearing and find out if the ban should become permanent.
"Before the ban could go into effect, the planning board will need to vote to change the town's land use and development code."
Read more:
https://wgme.com/news/local/gorham-officials-consider-permanent-ban-on-data-centers-maine-economy#MainePol #DatacenterMoratorium #DatacenterMoratoriums #Datacentres #DatacentreMoratorium #Hyperscale #Hyperconsumption #AIDatacenters #NoisePollution #LightPollution #WaterIsLife #EnergyWaste
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@plan Ayer fue la visita a la reserva Cerro Negro y observación astronómica. Hizo una noche espectacular. Algunas fotos de anoche tomadas por @sebastian Además de la actividad de divulgación y observación, tomamos medidas de calidad de cielo para la aplicación a Dark Sky International para reserva de cielo oscuro #sky #cielo #nightsky #cielonocturno #contaminaciónlumínica #lightpollution #darkskyinternational #rocha #ambá #cerronegro #uruguay #astronomia #astronomy
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It's firefly time in Bellingen
* "In the early evening, flashing lights can often be seen cruising around in the forest. These are the little lanterns on the underside of the abdomen of a carnivorous beetle of the family lampyridae. These beetles have been misnamed fireflies. It is believed that the flashing light is used by males and females to attract each other." >>
https://www.wettropics.gov.au/fireflies* Tidy gardens and landscape maintenance equipment unleash a blitzkrieg on the little fairies of the soil. The ubiquitous lawn mowers "mowing the grass" like a military strategy, so no soil micro-diversity shall survive. Line trimmers, debris blowers, chainsaws, bobcats, bulldozers and a dash of chemicals complete the terraforming.
* Fireflies under threat from habitat loss, pesticides and light pollution
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2020/feb/04/fireflies-under-threat-habitat-loss-pesticides-light-pollutionImage: Fireflies, Franz von Stuck, detail,1898 (Children/ fauns in awe, amazed about the wonder of energy efficiency in nature.)
#BioluminescentInsects #fireflies #soil #light #EnergyEfficiency #insects #beetles #LightPollution #pesticides #machinery #gardens #lawns #fairies #forests #destruction #Bellingen #nature #environment
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#EPA proposal could leave the public in the dark on #datacenter plans
By MATTHEW DALY
Updated 1:37 PM EDT, September 3, 2026WASHINGTON (AP) — "A plan by the Environmental Protection Agency could make it harder for the public to learn about and comment on proposed AI data centers that have sparked backlash in communities across the United States and transformed the midterm election landscape.
"The EPA proposal would eliminate a federal requirement that states notify the public and seek comment before issuing #AirPollution permits for data centers and other #IndustrialFacilities. States could still offer opportunities for public comment, but the EPA would no longer mandate them as a condition for states to grant permits.
"Critics say the move could thwart local residents from learning about proposed data centers or making their voices heard before projects are approved and construction begins. The move comes during a widespread backlash as #TechGiants build hundreds of massive #ServerWarehouses to fuel #ArtificialIntelligence and #CloudComputing.
" 'By eliminating the long-standing federal requirement for public notice, this proposal continues efforts by the Trump administration to turn its back on the fundamental EPA principle of transparency,' said Mike Koerber, a former deputy director of EPA’s air quality office.
"If made final, the plan could create 'an unlevel playing field where citizens in one state are kept completely in the dark about new data centers and heavy industrial emissions in their backyards, while neighboring states maintain oversight,' he said.
"Under the EPA plan, states with weak or no requirements for #PublicComment could speed permits for data centers, #PowerPlants and other #PollutionSources without consulting the public or even informing communities where the facilities are located, Koerber and other critics said."
#USPol #EPAFail #NoDatacenters #NoAIDatacenters #NoisePollution #LightPollution #WaterIsLife #EnergyWaste #CorporateGreed #CorporateColonialism #DatacenterMoratoriums #Datacentres #Hyperscale #PhysicalMedia #NoPublicComment #SneakyTechGiants #AI
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Article referenced in the commentary, from November 2025.
Seeking Profits, Private Companies Look to Light up the Night Sky
Reflect Orbital’s plan to deliver “sunlight on demand” using thousands of giant orbital mirrors is just the latest in a growing list of disruptive commercial activities in space
#ArtificialSunlight #SpaceMirrors
#DarkSkies #SpacePollution #LightPollution #BadIdea #ReflectOrbital #USPol -
Selling the Sun
Commentary by cartoonist #JenSorensen :
"The FCC just approved the test launch of a space mirror-bearing satellite from a company called Reflect Orbital. The plan is to test one mirror this year, and scale up to a 'constellation' of 50,000 by 2035.
For a few years now, the company has been touting the illumination of solar farms at night as the primary reason for the mirrors. Setting aside whether this is feasible or even a priority in a country that is doing its best to undermine solar power, the company is openly promoting other, less noble uses: extending working hours at industrial sites, replacing streetlights in urban areas, and (as I mentioned in the comic) 'unforgettable nighttime experiences.'
For more background on why space mirrors are a bad idea, I recommend this Scientific American article from last year. Interestingly, this is not the first time this concept has been tried. Russia launched a prototype in the 1990s and abandoned the project. "
Source:
https://jensorensen.com/2026/07/15/selling-the-sun/#ArtificialSunlight #SpaceMirrors #DarkSkies #SpacePollution #LightPollution #BadIdea #ReflectOrbital #USPol
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North America is approaching the peak of the fall migratory bird season, a time when billions of birds travel thousands of miles across the continent under the cover of darkness. Bright artificial light from urban areas creates dangerous traps, drawing birds away from natural flight paths and into hazardous building collisions.
To combat this widespread ecological issue, cities across the nation have introduced seasonal "Lights Out" initiatives encouraging building managers to dim or extinguish non-essential illumination. But do these voluntary programs deliver measurable results, or are they merely symbolic gestures?
Read more: https://www.darkskyconsulting.com/blog/for-the-birds-lights-out-programs-and-the-avian-economy/
#BirdMigration #LightPollution #LightsOut #DarkSkies #Conservation
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As promised, my #Astronomy / #DarkSkies / #Astrophotography List [alpha order] for #FollowFriday ! Suggestions welcome! 🔭 🌌 🌟
@AlexSanterne
#Astronomer, working @IPAG & teaching at #University Grenoble-Alpes (France).
Interests: #photography #Astronomy #Space@ArvitZ
Process Engineering Student, Amateur - #Astrophotographer, FPV-Quad Pilot
So in a nutshell I like STEM, watching our universe and flying around with fast drones basically...@badastro
#Astronomer, #scicomm, #author, etc.@cosmos4u
Science writer in Germany since, gasp, 1982 specializing in all things space@esa [bot]
This is an unofficial repeater of the RSS feed of the #EuropeanSpaceAgency [ #ESA ]@esoastronomy
The European Southern Observatory designs, builds & operates world-class observatories on the ground for the benefit of society.@JohnBarentine
#Astronomer. Historian. Author. Space environmentalist. Small business owner. Arizona native. Proud LGBT American. 🏳️🌈 Retiring to asteroid 14505. Questioning everything; occasionally getting in trouble for it. Toots about #Astronomy, #LightPollution, #DarkSkies, #Satellites, #SciencePolicy, #History and more.@malcircuit
"This is where I share my #astrophotography without all of the drama."@maxplanckgesellschaft
Germany's leading basic research organization. Toots in English and German.
#Astronomy #Physics@mustapipa
Astronomer, researcher at Helsinki University, discoverer of dozens of planets, notably the candidate habitable world #Proximab around the nearest star to the Sun, Proxima Centauri.@planet4589.bsky.social [bridge]
#Astrophysicist #LEO
Support the work of #JonathansSpaceReport
🌉 bridged from 🦋 planet4589.bsky.social, follow @bsky.brid.gy to interact@salvabara
#LightPollution researcher. Former profesor titular de Óptica (retired) at Universidade de Santiago de Compostela, Galiza (European Union).
Born at 317 ppm CO2@space_environmentalism
The #CenterForSpaceEnvironmentalism ( #CSE ) increases awareness and understanding of space environmentalism issues and helps stakeholders make better decisions about them by pursuing research, education, outreach and advocacy. https://www.spaceenvironmentalism.org #Space #SpaceEnvironment #SpaceEnvironmentalism@stargazersmith
Stargeezer, retired. Worked in computer science (PhD), aerospace engineering, and astronomy.
Interests: #amateurastronomy #scifi #software #perl #forth #linux #R #GnuOctave@starrytimepod
Sisters Jordan and Kit (@kitirving) cohost this #podcast featuring #astronomy & ret-cons(tellations) of #mythology. Season 3: Into the Wild is afoot!
Follow for toots related to #astronomy, #space, #astrophotography, #StarLore, #mythology of the night sky, and, occasionally, other things we're into (e.g., #StarTrek #Grogu #DoctorWho #Basketball #celtics #ThemeParks #scifi #writing #dinosaurs #storytelling #Creatures etc.)@sundogplanets
Professor of astronomy, farmer of goats. Asteroid (42910). She/her.
Living and learning on the land and under the skies of Treaty 4 (Saskatchewan, Canada).
Thanks to Saskatchewan's beautiful night sky, my research background in small body orbital dynamics, and a couple of really unfortunately placed SpaceX reentries, I spend a lot of time yelling about satellite pollution in international news media.@wawn [bot]
This bot posts daily updates on Earth's distances from its awkward neighbors, along with other bizarre weekly bulletins from the #SolarSystem. -
Para nuestra sorpresa, el fotómetro que estaba midiendo la calidad del cielo en Laguna Garzón, tomó medidas por unos 6 meses aproximadamente. Pensamos que las pilas ya se habían terminado mucho antes, es una sorpresa tremenda porque se pueden ver unas 7 lunaciones completas y el cambio estacional de la temperatura. El cielo es básicamente un Bortle 1 #contaminaciónlumínica #lightpollution #bortle1 #nightsky #astronomy #cielo #ambiente #rocha #uruguay #unihedron #sqm
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China has implemented a #LightPollution law: https://www.cali-light.com/en/news/424693bf-ad09-44b9-a21c-066a5dfdb010
It will be really interesting to see how this changes the trajectory of the country, because for over a decade it's been brightening at an extraordinary rate.
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Great five minute read about #urban #Lighting and #LightPollution from @JohnBarentine: https://www.darkskyconsulting.com/blog/tucson-vienna-metz-a-tale-of-three-cities
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#SpaceMirror #SpaceMirrors #satellites #KesslerSyndrome #LightPollution
Kocifaj et al. 6. Aug.2026, arXiv:2608.06433v2
Atmospheric Light Pollution by Proposed Reflect Orbital Space Mirrors
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#PaulBeckwith video lecture & literature review #SpaceMirror #SpaceMirrors #satellites #KesslerSyndrome #LightPollution
(jeez... 🙄🤦🤦♂🤦♀with what BS are they coming up again just to press for more profits and divert attention from efficient climate action. Just drop everything and STOP fossil fuels NOW!)
#climate #ClimateScience #climatechange #ClimateEmergency #ClimateCrisis #ClimateBreakdown #ClimateDisruption #globalWarming #globalHeating #ExtremeWeather #polycrisis
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‘Never seen this level of objection’: #Scotland pushes back against #datacentre boom
#Holyrood ‘inching towards moratorium’ amid concerns over massive proposed developments in #Auchtertool and beyond
by Aisha Down, 25 Aug 2026
"In a village 21 miles north of #Edinburgh, a real estate consultancy plans to build a datacentre larger than the village itself – 35 metres high, with an area larger than 100 football pitches.
"Billed as the second-biggest datacentre in the world, the development in Auchertool, Fife, has attracted 1,600 objections.
" 'The public pressure is huge,' said David Torrance, a member of the Scottish parliament representing the village. 'I’ve never seen this level of objection to a local plan, and I have been in politics for 25 years.'
"Similar concerns are being echoed across Scotland, next to gargantuan planned developments in towns such as #Airdrie and #Larbert. In a matter of weeks, as the Scottish parliament comes back into session, the growing opposition could pose a challenge to #Britain ’s #AI strategy.
" 'The Scottish government is inching towards a moratorium,' said Kat Jones, director of the Edinburgh-based charity #ActionToProtectRuralScotland. 'MSPs return to parliament next week, after a summer in their constituencies where they have been hearing the concerns of local people about proposed #hyperscale #datacentres. They will be expecting action.'
"For months, #UK officials have been encouraging would-be datacentre developers to consider Scotland. In April, Fintan Slye, the chief executive of the UK’s National Energy System Operator (Neso), told a London audience to look north: 'If in the audience you have a big datacentre and you want to go to Scotland, please come talk to me, we will help you,' he said.
" 'They are coming up here because we are energy-rich, and we are water-rich, and England is in drought and the grid is struggling,' said Torrance.
"But Scotland, it turns out, isn’t having it. The proposal for Auchtertool is a behemoth: drawings show the 600MW datacentre towering over the village, dwarfing old stone houses and blocking the view of #fields and #forests.
" 'How can you possibly ask people to accept that?' Torrance said. 'You can see why the public is objecting.'
"Scotland has already started to take steps that could mean the Auchtertool datacentre – and dozens of others – may never be built."
#DatacentreMoratorium #DatacenterMoratorium #ScotlandResists #ResistanceIsFertile #Resistance #NoDatacenters #NoDatacentres #NoisePollution #LightPollution #ForestsAreLife #AISucks #AIDataCenters #UKPol #DatacenterResistance #DatacentreResistance
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Excerpt of #TransformingNight from
University of Washington Press now out in LitHub! 🎉🌌💡🌃🛰️
#LightPollution #ArtificialLight #ALAN #Night #Darkness #LightJusticehttps://lithub.com/what-the-worlds-nightscapes-reveal-about-our-dependence-on-artificial-light/
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📢🥳 Excerpt of #TransformingNight from @[email protected] now out in @[email protected] 🎉
🌌💡🌃🛰️
#ArtificialLight #ALAN #LightPollution #Night #Darkness #LightJustice
lithub.com/what-the-wor...
What the World’s Nightscapes R... -
Captured this #LightPollution at a campground last weekend. I guess the trailer/caravan manufacturer thought the bright white led lights under the trailer awning were not obnoxious enough. So they put even more intense blue lights on the front.
Front lights are only meant for hooking/unhooking the trailer at night. But this dude has them running all night, every night for the past week. The blue light is visible from the opposite side of the campground, through trees etc. 🙄
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Solid theoretical grounding for the surprisingly large spatial reach of artificial light at night from cities: "Standard dark sky protection buffers of 10–50 km are demonstrably inadequate in some cases: medium cities (10^7 lm) produce detectable radiance beyond 30 km, whilst major metropolitan areas require >100 km separation to achieve natural darkness. These findings reveal that light pollution affects protected areas at distances far exceeding current conservation planning assumptions, with implications for nocturnal biodiversity preservation and dark sky protection policies globally."
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S221209552600341X
#DarkSkies #LightPollution #Skyglow #Cities #Urban #Environment #Conservation
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“Christmas lighting was associated with higher levels of artificial illumination, shifts in the spatial distribution of artificial light at night (ALAN), and changes in night-sky brightness. These findings suggest that festive lighting shapes both the visual character of urban space and the seasonal dynamics of light pollution.”
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#SciAM:
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The battle for the night sky
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"SpaceX and other companies want to put millions of satellites into space. Could orbit run out of room?""“We are ripe for a major event to occur. And all of that debris will rain down through all the other operational satellites.” —Darren McKnight LeoLabs"
https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/how-many-satellites-can-safely-orbit-earth/
18.8.2026
#Astronomie #Astronomy #debris #LEO #LightPollution #Nachthimmel #Pollution #Raumfahrt #Satelliten #SpaceFlight #SpaceX #Starlink #Umweltverschmutzung
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What it looks like to live next to a sprawling #Datacenter
Aug. 19, 2026
#NoDatacenters #Datacenters #LowellMA #AshburnVA #VernonCA #NewCarlisleIN #MidlothianTX #PocatelloID #Utah #ImperialCA #StoneRidgeVA #DatacenterMoratorium #NoisePollution #LightPollution
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Clips from an email advertisement by the German rail that suggests using the train to get to one of Germany's International Dark Sky Places.
Love it! 🤩
#DarkSkyInternational #Nature #Rhön #Sternenpark #SternenparkRhön #SternenparkEifel #SternenparkWesthavelland #Astronomy #LightPollution #Astrotourism #Tourism
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Perseids in the Vosges. I spent two nights in the Vosges mountains during the Perseid meteor shower. My new blog post features photos, text, and a soundscape.
https://www.silberspur.de/blogs/read/128
#Perseids #MeteorShower #Meteor #ShootingStars #Vosges #Astrophotography #Nature #Soundscape #artificialLightAtNight #alan #Astronomy #Sky #NightSky #Soundscape #SoundRecording #lightpollution #timelapse
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🎉 Delighted to share upcoming events associated with the release of #TransformingNight 🌌💡🌃🛰️ from University of Washington Press
#LightPollution #ArtificialLight #ALAN #Night #Darkness #LightJustice