How and when did astronomers begin to understand access to the #night sky as a human right? And what are the implications of doing so? 🌌 Read chapter 3 of my forthcoming book, #TransformingNight! #LightPollution #ArtificialLight #ALAN #Darkness #LightJustice

RE: https://bsky.app/profile/did:plc:bbpjawymn64275u2hay54f6o/post/3mfj6oywaj22h

#TransformingNight 🌌💡🌃 🤩 #LightPollution #ArtificialLight #ALAN #Night #Darkness #LightJustice #envhist #envhum #envjustice #histtech #histsci #sts #Anthropocene

#nature #bats #light #artificiallight #artificiallightatnight https://www.euronews.com/green/2026/02/10/from-denmark-to-the-uk-why-european-cities-are-installing-red-street-lighting

I wrote a thing, "Urban #Nightscapes and the #Anthropocene" 💡🌃🌌 niche-canada.org/2026/01/26/u... #ArtificialLight #ALAN #LightPollution #Night #TransformingNight #Darkness #LightJustice

Urban Nightscapes and the Anth...

#Berlin not only boasts numerous lakes but also #waterways, both artificial and natural, all of which are sites of considerable #aquatic #biodiversity. My photos show the #BerlinSpandau #ShipCanal near the #Westhafen (a #harbor). C. C. Voigt et al. (2019) demonstrated the importance these waterways for terrestrial animals as well, namely e.g. #bats, which use #waterbodies and vegetated areas to bypass #artificiallight routes
©#StefanFWirth 2025

Ref
https://doi.org/10.1007/s10980-019-00942-4

#Photos
S.F.Wirth

This all came together faster than I anticipated... 📣🎆🎉🥳 #CoverReveal ! #TransformingNight uwapress.uw.edu/book/9780295... #LightPollution #ArtificialLight #ALAN #Night #Darkness

Yufeng Gong explored how urban #ArtificialLight affects the spring budburst and its #SpatialVariation within species distribution.

#Urbanization | #SpringPhenology | #Photoperiod

https://doi.org/10.1093/jpe/rtaf077

Humans have an internal lunar clock – but light pollution is disrupting it
#Science #Moon #LunarClock #LightPollution #Moonlight #Health #HumanBiology #SleepScience #CircadianRhythm #Nature #Wildlife #ClimateChange #Animals #ArtificialLight #Menopause
https://the-14.com/humans-have-an-internal-lunar-clock-but-light-pollution-is-disrupting-it/

Concern as #LightPollution encourages #birds to sing for longer, study finds

22 August 2025

"Birds around the world are singing for nearly an hour longer each day due to light pollution, a new study has shown.

"The research, to be published in the journal Science, used millions of recordings of #birdsong, including from #NewZealand's #NorthIsland.

"President of Birds New Zealand Dr Natalie Forsdick told RNZ more light meant more time for singing, building nests and feeding.

"But she said those things consumed energy and it could be reducing their overall health.

" 'It's just like with humans, if you go to bed a little bit too late, you wake up the next day feeling a little bit the worse for wear. I imagine that birds could feel that same way too, and we certainly see that it disrupts their natural cycles.'

"She said previous studies in New Zealand had shown a range of outcomes, from no effect to increased night-time predation by black-backed gulls on threatened species like banded dotterels.

"But one of the biggest concerns about light pollution in New Zealand was its effect on seabirds.

"Among juveniles, urban light pollution may be mistaken for moonlight, attracting and disorientating species like Cook's #petrel or Hutton's #shearwaters.

"This could cause birds to crash land or collide with buildings, and they may become injured or grounded in cities.

"She said people could help by turning off outside lights when they were not needed, and asking their local councils to consider more directional or dimmer lighting in public places. [I would recommended warmer lighting as well. Too much blue is unnatural!]

"Associate Professor Kristal Cain from the School of Biological Sciences at the University of Auckland said more research was needed to find out how light pollution affected survival and reproduction.

"This paper used bird song data collected by thousands of volunteers globally, and measured when birds started singing in the morning and when they stopped for the night.

"It found that in brighter areas birds started singing early and continued later into the night than in dark areas.

" 'Most of the bird song was collected in #NorthAmerica and #Europe,' Cain said. 'We still need to do similar work in the rest of the world to see how widespread these patterns really are. The manu of #Aotearoa are quite unique in many ways."

" 'Importantly, all this #ArtificialLight is not good for us either.'

"People could do things like closing curtains and planting trees in urban areas to contain some of the light."

Source:
https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/national/570702/concern-as-light-pollution-encourages-birds-to-sing-for-longer-study-finds

#DarkSkies #Nature #Stargazing #NatureIsLife

Urban #ArtificialLight (AL & NoAL) ➡️ #SpringBudburst and its #SpatialVariation within species distribution❓

Results:
1️⃣ Temperature responsiveness: NoAL > AL;
2️⃣ Twigs #Photoperiod limitation: NoAL < AL;
3️⃣ Heat requirement: NoAL < AL.
4️⃣ The difference between the two at high latitudes is more significant.

https://doi.org/10.1093/jpe/rtaf077

Seeing fewer #fireflies this year? Here’s why, and how you can help.

Fireflies are vulnerable to #ClimateChange and habitat loss. Some simple landscaping tricks and turning off porch lights can make a big difference.

This coverage is made possible through a partnership between #Grist and #BPR, a #PublicRadio station serving western #NorthCarolina.

Katie Myers Regional Reporter, #Appalachia, July 11, 2025

Excerpt: "Basham and Jacobs have a few other tips for helping fireflies thrive. You don’t need to be a scientist to help protect fireflies. In fact, the biggest difference comes from how we care for our own #backyards. Here are a few things Basham and Jacobs recommend:

- Turn off your #PorchLights. Fireflies are incredibly sensitive to #ArtificialLight, and it can confuse them.
- Ditch the manicured lawn and embrace #NativePlants. In addition to being easier to care for, they suit the local environment and conserve water.
- Leave some leaves behind when you rake in the fall. They’re a great place for fireflies to find food, stay cool, and lay eggs.
- Plant shrubs, tufting grasses, and other, large plants. These can shelter fireflies during rainstorms and other severe weather.
- If you spot fireflies, jot down when and where you saw them and add your observations to citizen science databases like iNaturalist, Firefly Watch, or Firefly Atlas to help scientists collect data.

"Even among those who study fireflies, the thrill of spotting them remains magical. Lower has made many excursions to the southern #AppalachianMountains to find the famous, ethereal 'blue ghosts.' Rather than flicker, the insects emit a continuous bluish-green glow. 'You walk into the pitch black woods and at first you can’t really see anything right because your eyes are getting used to the darkness,' Lower said. 'But eventually you start to see all these dim glows.' "

https://grist.org/science/seeing-fewer-fireflies-this-year-heres-why-and-how-you-can-help/?utm_source=firefox-newtab-en-us

#SolarPunkSunday #CitizenScience #FireflyConservation #LessLawns #Rewilding #HabitatLoss #Insects #Nature #LeaveTheLeaves #DarkSkies #TurnOffTheLights #ConservingNature

Light affects fish #ecology. Benjamin Bluck tells us how #ArtificialLight is impacting the #EuropeanEel. Light intensity does not seem to impact passage, and there is a general aversion to both low and high light intensity. When there is good flow, #eel are not generally affected by rapid changes in light #FSBI2025

New publication: Limited immediate effect of #artificiallight of realistic intensity on flight behaviour of commuting #pondbat. #Myotisdasycneme #ALAN #behaviouralecology #lightpollution
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.baae.2025.05.007