Shedding Light on the Situation
Since I was a child living in the dark depths of rural Sussex on an organic smallholding, the night sky has always intrigued me – the enormity of space and what it all means! I also developed an inherent connection with our native wildlife, and I have always endeavoured to reduce my impact on the environment in which we live. The following series of blogs by guest blogger Freyja Austin highlights why a considered Garden Lighting Design is important to both our night skies and our wildlife, and how we as a studio do the very best that we can as custodians of our natural world and as guardians of the galaxy. Bo Cook – Lead Designer.
Illuminating the Issue of Excessive Night Lighting and why we are Guardians of the Galaxy - by Freyja Austin
Over the last 200 years our night sky has gone from being illuminated by the moon and stars alone, to being dominated by artificial light. These three statistics are examples of how detrimental the effects of excessive light pollution can be:
1/3 of the world’s population are now unable to see the Milky Way.
80% of the world’s population live under a polluted sky.
Attracted by city lights, up to 1,000,000,000 birds die each year after colliding with buildings.
Bright City Lights
Light pollution is clearly visible above and around urban areas.
ALAN
Lighting up the night is not a new habit for humans, but artificial outdoor lighting is now cheap, abundant, and not to mention much more powerful than in the days of Edison’s incandescent lamp. Its accessibility means artificial light has become increasingly popular also at a residential scale. Global illumination of the night has increased gradually, meaning many do not realise the effects that light at night is having. This three-part series will share the potential consequences of lighting your garden at night, and provide you with guidance for lighting responsibly so that you can enjoy your garden in the evening while contributing to the protection of the night sky and living harmoniously with your local wildlife. In the first part of this feature on Artificial Light At Night (ALAN) we will explore:
The different forms and sources of light pollution.
The impact on astronomy.
The purpose of Dark Skies initiatives.
Polluting our Night
Various types of light pollution can be seen in this image. The orange haze over the train station is sky glow from Brighton and Hove Albions AMEX football stadium, around 5 miles away. There is glare from the white overhead lights, and light is spilling up into the trees and into the hedges on the left.
What is Light Pollution?
Outdoor spaces are lit at night for a multitude of reasons, the most common of which are for safety and to facilitate evening activities. On a commercial scale this can be erecting streetlights to make streets safer and using flood lights to enable evening football matches. On an private residential scale this can be installing lights above the backdoor to increase home security and equipping your terrace with lights to allow outdoor dining. Unfortunately, increased ALAN at both large and small scales is contributing to light pollution.
Light pollution is a non-toxic vapour; however, it is visually impenetrable. More simply, it is light shining where it is neither wanted nor needed. The most significant visualisations of light pollution are:
Sky Glow: The orange cloudy haze formed as light scatters. It is seen miles from the source, visible even in rural areas.
Glare: The excessive brightness that can cause discomfort.
Light trespass: Light crossing the boundary of the property housing the light source, spilling into non-target areas.
Unlike the long-term effects of plastic and water pollution, light pollution ceases to exist if you simply turn off your lights or prevent light spilling upward towards the sky. This is the basis for initiatives in the UK and worldwide that aim to keep areas of countryside dark, therefore combating light pollution and maintaining our view of the night sky.
Dark Skies Initiatives
The International Dark Sky Association was formed in 1988 and is a recognised authority looking to preserve the night sky. Similar initiatives are found globally, with the UK forming its own Dark Sky Partnership bringing together astronomers and environmental organisations to increase awareness of the need to protect night sky visibility as well as nocturnal life. Dark sky reserves are areas in National Parks and Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty that the Dark Sky Association have recognised as having low light pollution and therefore great visibility, while remaining accessible to all. Of the 21 global reserves, 7 are in the UK – including the South Downs National Park. Local sites Devils Dyke, Ditchling Beacon, and Birling Gap have been designated ‘Dark Skies Discovery Sites’, areas that provide a particularly good view of the night sky. Public interest in visiting dark sky areas and observing the stars is ever increasing, showing the importance of dark sky initiatives, public education, and the introduction of lighting policies.
Starry night
Throughout history, our dark night sky has acted as a blank canvas for the moon and starlight and has huge historical and cultural significance.
Not so Starry Night
The stars have influenced ancient Greek myths, helped early explorers navigate the globe, and inspired countless works of art and poetry. However, the sparking night sky that once lent itself to Van Gogh’s famed ‘Starry Night’, is now anything but. 80% of the world’s population now lives under a polluted sky, meaning celestial bodies that were historically visible to all, are now extremely rare.
“You don’t need to be an astronomer to care about this”
Amateur astronomers make important observations that add to global data sets on astronomy, however, the UK’s amateur astronomy scene has reduced as light pollution has increased. With the sky brightening at around 10% a year, constellations formally unmistakeable even to the naked eye are disappearing from sight. It has been 8 years since astronomers reported that the milky way, once seen glittering across the night sky, is no longer visible to 1/3 of us.
Reserving the Best
Milky way photographed over Lake Butterfield in the Lake District National Park. This national park is working towards becoming an official Dark Sky reserve, which would help conserve this view.
Additionally, in as little as 20 years, other major constellations will be obscured from view. “You don’t need to be an astronomer to care about this” – Martin Rees, astronomer royal. None of us want to play a part in depriving future generations of the ability to look up and see the stars. Our ability to see our galaxy’s constellations provides us with scale and reminds us that we are a part of something so much bigger than just our Earth. I believe most of us have experienced something akin to awe or wonder, or even simply a moment of calm, when looking up at the stars, and I think each one of us would feel great sorrow if that view was taken from us.
Hope is not lost however, as physicists and astronomers alike have confirmed that there are simple enough measures that can be taken that will invoke a hugely positive impact. Although, impairing our view of the night sky is not the only detrimental impact of ALAN…
In part 2 we will discover how artificial lighting at a residential scale can impact local wildlife.
Written by Guest Blogger Freyja Austin, Feb 2024
References:
https://darksky.org/app/uploads/2022/06/IDA-State-of-the-Science-2022-EN.pdf
https://www.darkskiesnationalparks.org.uk/about/dark-skies-organisations
https://www.cpre.org.uk/explainer/what-is-light-pollution-and-how-can-you-take-action-about-it/
https://www.eurobats.org/sites/default/files/documents/publications/publication_series/WEB_DIN_A4_EUROBATS_08_ENGL_NVK_28022019.pdf