Have you ever wondered why you can't really see the Milky Way that clearly? The reason is light pollution. Light pollution is a fancy word for saying all the lights in the sky that wash out the night sky that ruins the beauty of the universe to us. The cause of this is from all the lights that send light all around instead of where it should be, which is at the ground. These lights waste energy and add on to global warming. It's a shame because instead of wasting billions of dollars each year on lighting, we could be enjoying the beautiful night sky. One of the most important steps we can do to stop pollution is to shield outdoor lighting so it directs downward. This doesn't mean throw a tarp over your street lamp. The problem is coming from lights like those in the parking lot that almost blind your eyes and defeat the whole purpose of having them there; to find your car. Big cities like New York add the most light pollution because the whole city looks like it is glowing at night.
Dark Sky Light-Polluted Sky Parking lot lights
San Francisco 1944 San Francisco 2007
I found light pollution to be very interesting because it was something I had never heard of before that obviously is quite a problem to our environment. Not many people know this problem exists and being able to see the Milky Way every night would be pretty cool. There would be no need for powerful telescopes to see things out of earth. I think people of all ages can learn a lot from this and help make our world a more beautiful and environmentally friendly place to live and enjoy in.
M. L.
