Light Pollution News

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How can one county lead the charge against light pollution while balancing development and environmental preservation? Second District New Castle County, Delaware Councilmember Dee Durham joins host Bill McGeeney to discuss the successful passage of Lighting Ordinance 23-122, aimed at reducing light pollution through smart lighting regulations.

Councilmember Durham explains the regulations on specific lighting types such as spotlights and floodlights, and the importance of shielding to reduce glare and enhance energy efficiency.  We'll highlight the challenges of implementing Ordinance 23-122 and how the county plans to enforce this ordinance. 

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A hearty thank you to all of our paid supporters out there. You make this show possible.

For only the cost of one coffee each month you can help us to continue to grow. That’s $3 a month. If you like what we’re doing, if you think this adds value in any way, why not say thank you by becoming a supporter!

Why Support Light Pollution News?

• Receive quarterly invite to join as live audience member for recordings with special Q&A session post recording with guests.
• Receive all of the news for that month via a special Supporter monthly mailer.
• Satisfaction that your support helps further critical discourse on this topic.

About Light Pollution News:

Ever wonder why migrating birds crash into buildings? Or why you can't sleep at night? What about where you can still see the Milky Way?

Light Pollution News explores how our 24/7 lit world affects everything from wildlife and human health to our understanding of the stars, travel, and the future of our cities. Host Bill McGeeney brings on rotating guests to help dig into the latest research, policy activity, and real-world solutions - from how irresponsible lighting degrades our health to the best dark sky destinations for your next trip. Whether you're a birder, conservationist, astrophotographer, or just someone who misses sleeping in darkness, this is the show that connects the dots between your disappear...

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Host Bill McGeeney is joined by Ken Walczak of Dark Sky International, Lya Osborn of Light Justice, and the award winning landscape astrophotographer, Josh Dury.

See Full Show Notes, Lighting Tips and more at LightPollutionNews.com. Like this episode, share it with a friend!

Bill's Picks:

• Let there be Skyglow—light pollution from a large outdoor music festival (Lollapalooza Berlin 2016), Scientific Reports.
• Artificial Light at Night: State of the Science 2024, Drew Reagan, Dark Sky International.
• Saudi Arabia to build world's largest dark sky reserve for stargazing, The News.
• Astronomers versus activists: the battle over San Diego’s streetlights, Robert P Crease, Physics World.
• ‘Cosmic Baseball’ to illuminate the game like never before, Jason Foster, MLB.com.

Support the show

A hearty thank you to all of our paid supporters out there. You make this show possible.

For only the cost of one coffee each month you can help us to continue to grow. That’s $3 a month. If you like what we’re doing, if you think this adds value in any way, why not say thank you by becoming a supporter!

Why Support Light Pollution News?

• Receive quarterly invite to join as live audience member for recordings with special Q&A session post recording with guests.
• Receive all of the news for that month via a special Supporter monthly mailer.
• Satisfaction that your support helps further critical discourse on this topic.

About Light Pollution News:

Ever wonder why migrating birds crash into buildings? Or why you can't sleep at night? What about where you can still see the Milky Way?

Light Pollution News explores how our 24/7 lit world affects everything from wildlife and human health to our understanding of the stars, travel, and the future of our cities. Host Bill McGeeney brings on rotating guests to help dig into the latest research, policy activity, and real-world solutions - from how irresponsible lighting degrades our health to the best dark sky destinations for your next trip. Whether you're a birder, conservationist, astrophotographer, or just someone who misses sleeping in darkness, this is the show that connects the dots between your disappear...

Submit Voicemail!

Host Bill McGeeney is joined by Ken Walczak of Dark Sky International, Lya Osborn of Light Justice, and the award winning landscape astrophotographer, Josh Dury.

See Full Show Notes, Lighting Tips and more at LightPollutionNews.com. Like this episode, share it with a friend!

Bill's Picks:

• Florida won't light bridges in rainbow colors. So Jacksonville's LGBTQ community did., David Bauerlein, Jacksonville Florida Times-Union. 
• Giant, mysterious laser beam appears over San Francisco, Ariana Bindman, SFGate. 
• Scientists Say Light Pollution Could Interfere with Coral Spawning, TaiwanPlus News. 
• Diurnal predators in dim light: the ability of mantids to prey for supper, Environmental Entomology. 
• A LIGHT FOR TOMORROW, Chris Herring, Portland Winter Light Festival. 

Support the show

A hearty thank you to all of our paid supporters out there. You make this show possible.

For only the cost of one coffee each month you can help us to continue to grow. That’s $3 a month. If you like what we’re doing, if you think this adds value in any way, why not say thank you by becoming a supporter!

Why Support Light Pollution News?

• Receive quarterly invite to join as live audience member for recordings with special Q&A session post recording with guests.
• Receive all of the news for that month via a special Supporter monthly mailer.
• Satisfaction that your support helps further critical discourse on this topic.

About Light Pollution News:

Ever wonder why migrating birds crash into buildings? Or why you can't sleep at night? What about where you can still see the Milky Way?

Light Pollution News explores how our 24/7 lit world affects everything from wildlife and human health to our understanding of the stars, travel, and the future of our cities. Host Bill McGeeney brings on rotating guests to help dig into the latest research, policy activity, and real-world solutions - from how irresponsible lighting degrades our health to the best dark sky destinations for your next trip. Whether you're a birder, conservationist, astrophotographer, or just someone who misses sleeping in darkness, this is the show that connects the dots between your disappear...

Submit Voicemail!

Host Bill McGeeney is joined by David Smith of Buglife, lawyer and policy researcher, Yana Yakushina, and Dark Skies Officer for Cumbria, Jack Ellerby.

See Full Show Notes, Lighting Tips and more at LightPollutionNews.com. Like this episode, share it with a friend!

Bill's Picks:

• Why some animals become agitated during solar eclipse, Basel Hindeleh, ABC News. 
• Global study finds there really are more insects out after dark, Mark Wong and Raphael Didham, Phys.org. 
• MHM WANTS TO FIGHT LIGHT POLLUTION, Emmanual Delacour, Est Media Montreal.
• Episode #7: Dark Sky Tourism,  Avery Morgan, Andrew Galster, and Greg Egbert,  The Reflection. 
• Jasper’s dark sky tourism could help combat light pollution: researchers, Local Journalism Initiative.
• Mirrors in space could boost solar power production on Earth. Here's how.,Tereza Pultarova, Space.com. 

Support the show

A hearty thank you to all of our paid supporters out there. You make this show possible.

For only the cost of one coffee each month you can help us to continue to grow. That’s $3 a month. If you like what we’re doing, if you think this adds value in any way, why not say thank you by becoming a supporter!

Why Support Light Pollution News?

• Receive quarterly invite to join as live audience member for recordings with special Q&A session post recording with guests.
• Receive all of the news for that month via a special Supporter monthly mailer.
• Satisfaction that your support helps further critical discourse on this topic.

About Light Pollution News:

Ever wonder why migrating birds crash into buildings? Or why you can't sleep at night? What about where you can still see the Milky Way?

Light Pollution News explores how our 24/7 lit world affects everything from wildlife and human health to our understanding of the stars, travel, and the future of our cities. Host Bill McGeeney brings on rotating guests to help dig into the latest research, policy activity, and real-world solutions - from how irresponsible lighting degrades our health to the best dark sky destinations for your next trip. Whether you're a birder, conservationist, astrophotographer, or just someone who misses sleeping in darkness, this is the show that connects the dots between your disappear...

Submit Voicemail!

Host Bill McGeeney is joined by Shane Ludtke of the Actual Astronomy Podcast, Jeff Buler of the Aeroecology Lab at the University of Delaware, and Matthias Schmitt of Cedar Breaks National Monument.

See Full Show Notes, Lighting Tips and more at LightPollutionNews.com. Like this episode, share it with a friend!

Bill's Picks:

• City moths may have evolved smaller wings due to light pollution, James Dinnean, NewScientist. 
• Artificial light at night (ALAN) pollution alters bat lunar chronobiology: insights from broad-scale long-term acoustic monitoring, Ecological Processes.
• In the Spotlight: Bat Activity Shifts in Response to Intense Lighting of a Large Railway Construction Site, Sustainability.
• Dark Sky Month declared in Utah as state aims to foster ‘astrotourism’, Jonathon Sharp, ABC4. 
• Wind farm radar system reduces nighttime light pollution in Iowa, YYC Team, Yale Climate Connections. 
• Light Pollution and Oxidative Stress: Effects on Retina and Human Health, Environmental Pollution and Oxidative Stress. 
• More exposure to artificial, bright, outdoor nighttime light linked to higher stroke risk, American Heart Association. 

Support the show

A hearty thank you to all of our paid supporters out there. You make this show possible.

For only the cost of one coffee each month you can help us to continue to grow. That’s $3 a month. If you like what we’re doing, if you think this adds value in any way, why not say thank you by becoming a supporter!

Why Support Light Pollution News?

• Receive quarterly invite to join as live audience member for recordings with special Q&A session post recording with guests.
• Receive all of the news for that month via a special Supporter monthly mailer.
• Satisfaction that your support helps further critical discourse on this topic.

About Light Pollution News:

Ever wonder why migrating birds crash into buildings? Or why you can't sleep at night? What about where you can still see the Milky Way?

Light Pollution News explores how our 24/7 lit world affects everything from wildlife and human health to our understanding of the stars, travel, and the future of our cities. Host Bill McGeeney brings on rotating guests to help dig into the latest research, policy activity, and real-world solutions - from how irresponsible lighting degrades our health to the best dark sky destinations for your next trip. Whether you're a birder, conservationist, astrophotographer, or just someone who misses sleeping in darkness, this is the show that connects the dots between your disappear...