Light Pollution News

Light Pollution News

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Light Pollution News episodes

  • March 2026: Look at Me - Lighting!

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     This episode's guests:

    • Remi Bouche, Science Coordinator at Mont-Megantic.
    • Jeremey Evans, Photographer - Filmmaker.
    • Dashiell Leeds, Conservation Coordinator for the Sierra Club Loma Prieta Chapter.

    Bill's News Picks:

    • Let there be light — but not in Maine, GREG WALCHER, The Daily Sentinel.
    • Our state is the best place in the country to bring dreams to life: A second Sphere venue is coming to the US, Fraser Lewry, Louder.
    • LED lighting undermines visual performance unless supplemented by wider spectra, Nature. 
    • Exposure to outdoor artificial light at night is associated with a higher risk of ulcerative colitis: a prospective cohort study from the UK Biobank, Frontiers in Public Health.
    • Are You Afraid of the Dark? This Oregon Retreat Locks You in Total Darkness. For Days. On Purpose, Danielle Denham, That Oregon Life. 

    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...

    1 hr 6 min
  • Create Your Own Meaning.
    Today, I welcome back Mont-Megantic’s Remi Boucher, photographer Jeremy Evans, and the Sierra Club’s, Dashiell Leeds!
    We have have lot to cover today, including some satellite news, another big slate of ecology, and, how about we talk color...specifically, what color streetlights would you prefer to live under?
    Be sure to stay with us until the end today, as we had such a great conversation, that I had to bump out our ecology section to post show...don’t worry Remi and Dashiell stayed on to walk you through it!
    All this and a lot more on today’s Light Pollution News!
    1 hr 14 min
  • Look at Me Lighting!
    This episode, I am very excited to have some first time guests...Oh you’re really going to not want to miss this one! I welcome Mont-Megantic’s Remi Boucher, photographer Jeremy Evans, and, the Sierra Club’s, Dashiell Leeds!
    Well, you heard last month that Maine has a new ordinance, but it didn’t take long for that message to become convoluted! Wait until you see what our panel has to say on this! We have some health news...and, oh, there’s a new Sphere coming...maybe to a neighborhood near you? Be sure to stay with us for this episode of Light Pollution News!
    1 hr 6 min
  • February 2026: Connections.

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     This episode's guests:

    • Shweta Kulkarni, AstronEra.
    • Josh Dury, Award Winning Photographer.
    • Jim Webster, Advocate.

    Bill's News Picks:

    • Explore NASA’s most detailed map of the night sky yet, Andrew Paul, Popular Science. 
    • Satellite megaconstellations will threaten space-based astronomy, Nature. 
    • Minimizing aviation lighting duration reduces bat attraction to wind turbines, Journal of Applied Ecology. 
    • Tawny owls are turning to street lighting to help them hunt, British Ecological Society. 
    • Impact of artificial light at night on obesity and overweight: a systematic review and meta-analysis, BMC Public Health. 

    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...

    1 hr 7 min
  • Connection.
    Welcome to Light Pollution News! This episode, we ask, what can looking at SPHEREx images tell you about yourself? And, what!! Satellites can still cause light streaks...even for space telescopes! And, more important news about health and ecology came up this month! You’ll definitely want to listen!
    I welcome back AstronEra’s Shweta Kulkarni; acclaimed photographer, Josh Dury; and a true leader in advocacy work, Mr. Jim Webster!
    1 hr 7 min
  • February 2026: Warm Yellow Richness!

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     This episode's guests:

    • Shweta Kulkarni, AstronEra.
    • Josh Dury, Award Winning Photographer.
    • Jim Webster, Advocate.

    Bill's News Picks:

    • DarkSky One supercar lurks in the dark like a ninja with its sensible lighting, Gaurav Sood, Yanko Design. 
    • Colored light changes how music makes us feel, Eric Ralls, Earth.com. 
    • Bright needs, dark desires: Public preferences and balancing the benefits of artificial light and natural darkness at night in Aotearoa New Zealand, People and Nature. 
    • Illuminating Inequality: Public Lighting Energy Consumption and Light Pollution in Urban and Rural Contexts, Chemical Engineering Transactions. 
    • Evaluation of Urban Nighttime Light Environment Safety Using Integrated Remote Sensing and Perception Modeling, Remote Sensing 

     

    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...

    57 min
  • Warm Yellow Richness!
    We have a great show for you today! Joining me today from AstronEra is Shweta Kulkarni; we have a return visit from one of my favorite nighttime photographers, Mr. Josh Dury; and joining all the way from across the Delaware, Dark Sky New Jersey’s Jim Webster.
    This episode – did you hear, Maine has a new responsible lighting law! How are our feelings influenced by light. And...Dark Sky International released a design for a new car...yes, a new car. All this and more, coming right up in this episode of Light Pollution News!
    57 min
  • January 2026: Knowledge Availability!

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      This episode's guests:

    • Randy Nelson, PhD, Circadian Rhythm Researcher.
    • Scott Lind, Electrical Engineer, CEO Redshift Lighting.
    • Rushil Kukreja, Founder of Princia.

    Bill's News Picks:

    • Space Modernization for the 21st Century NPRM, FCC. 
    • Palo Alto approves dark sky ordinance, sets earlier curfew, Riley Cooke, Palo Alto Online. 
    • Widespread influence of artificial light at night on ecosystem metabolism, Nature. 
    • Midnight darkness and evening melatonin pre-treatment reverse night-light-induced neurobehavioural disruptions in a diurnal corvid, Scientific Reports. 
    • The night feels different when you’re out there', Dr. Jon Sutton, The British Psychological Society.

    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...

    53 min
  • January 2026: 0.68%

    Submit Voicemail!

      This episode's guests:

    • Randy Nelson, PhD, Circadian Rhythm Researcher.
    • Scott Lind, Electrical Engineer, CEO Redshift Lighting.
    • Rushil Kukreja, Founder of Princia.

    Bill's News Picks:

    • New York’s Skyline Has a Bold New Look, Nicholas Mancall-Bitel, New York Times.
    • Switching off public lighting: a study on local authority practices, Samuel Busson, Cerema.
    • Exposure to more artificial light at night may raise heart disease risk, American Heart Association. 
    • ‘My Neighbor’s Christmas Lights Shine into My Bedroom, What Should I Do?, Philadelphia Inquirer. 
    • Reaffirming sensory ethnography: sensing regenerative tourist practices in dark-sky protected zones, Journal of Sustainable Tourism. 


    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...

    58 min
  • Knowledge Availability
    Here we go, another Light Pollution News is about to kick off!
    This episode, I’m joined by Princia’s Rushil Kukreja; Circadian Rhythm researcher, Randy Nelson; and electrical engineer, Scott Lind!
    Can light pollution influence levels of CO2? A new study looks at how light affects plants’ ability to process gases. And what proof do we have that birds are affected by light at night? Well, quite a bit, and we have two new studies which appear to show that. Oh, and, did you hear that Palo Alto has a new ordinance, but is it too much?
    Let’s kick off the second show of 2026! A new Light Pollution News begins now!
    54 min

About Light Pollution News

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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…