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Light Pollution News
Light Pollution News episodes
- September 2025: Quit Messing With My Meridian Flip!
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This episode's guests:
- Steve Mariconda, MPH.
- Frank Turina, Educator / National Park Service / Night Sky Resource Center.
Bill's News Picks:
- ‘This is a big win’: Planning Commission embraces ‘dark skies’ for Rappahannock County, Bob Hurley, Rappahonnock News.
- A CT man claims state courts don’t comply with a certain law. Why he says it matters., Sean Krofssik, Hartford Courient.
- City denies environmentalists’ appeal, greenlights new Oaks Park ride and lights, Maddie Khaw, The Oregonian.
- Fears over impact of wind farm lights on Dark Sky Park, BBC News.
- Caring China shop owner keeps store lights on for 13 years to aid women coming home late, Fran Lu, South China Morning Post.
Subscribe:
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- Spotify
- Youtube
Tag Us and Share with a Friend:
- TikTok
Connect:
- [email protected]
- Join our Mailing List
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 - 10 Point Scale!An interesting study looks at what happens when we frame the ideas around light pollution differently. More evidence for metabolism related disruption from light at night in circadian rhythms. And what is actually the biggest offender robbing us of vital sleep and our night sky!I welcome back to the show, a dark sky advocate who’s helping to right the night outside of New York City, Mr. Steve Mariconda, and, just in time for some environmental talk, Mr. Frank Turina rejoins us!A lot of good stuff in here today! Be sure to settle in, you’re going to like this one!47 min
- Quit Messing With My Meridian Flip!Today, we have a lot of policy related activity. Smart policies getting set up in Virginia, an amusement park that apparently flipped the bird to migrating birds, and reading the fine print in Pittsburgh’s new LED conversion.Listen to all this and more as we have a new voice join us today – Mr. Steve Mariconda and an old friend returns, Mr. Frank Turina!You’ll definitely want to check out this one. A new Light Pollution News is coming up, next!1 hr 7 min
- August 2025: Keep Knocking!
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This episode's guests:
- Kelly Beatty, Sky and Telescope.
- Kerem Asfuroglu, Dark Source.
- David Smith, BugLife.
Bill's News Picks:
- Darkness is crucial to Everglades habitat: Could Alligator Alcatraz threaten it?, Max Chesnes, Phys.org.
- A183 Coast Road cycleway to get new street lighting to boost safety despite wildlife and dark skies fears, Nic Marko, Shields Gazette.
- Lunar cycle and moonlight intensity influence nocturnal migration patterns in a small songbird, Scientific Reports.
- Bogong moths use a stellar compass for long-distance navigation at night, Nature.
Subscribe:
- Apple Podcast
- Spotify
- Youtube
Tag Us and Share with a Friend:
- TikTok
Connect:
- [email protected]
- Join our Mailing List
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 - August 2025: Establishing Precedent
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This episode's guests:
- Kelly Beatty, Sky and Telescope.
- Kerem Asfuroglu, Dark Source.
- David Smith, BugLife.
Bill's News Picks:
- Citizen science illuminates the nature of city lights, Nature Cities.
- Does darkness increase the risk of certain types of crime? A registered report article, Plos.org.
- To Determine if Changing to White Light Street Lamps Reduces Crime: A Multilevel Longitudinal Analysis of Crime Occurrence during the Relighting of Leeds, a UK City, Applied Spatial Analysis and Policy.
- Lipid metabolic adaptations during inflammation are controlled by the circadian clock and impaired by light at night, Inflammation Research.
Subscribe:
- Apple Podcast
- Spotify
- Youtube
Tag Us and Share with a Friend:
- TikTok
Connect:
- [email protected]
- Join our Mailing List
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 2 min - Keep Knocking!You do not want to miss this one! We dive into all things ecology with BugLife’s own David Smith! Also, where do we balance nighttime conservation with societal progress?I welcome back Kelly Beatty, of Sky and Telescope, lighting designer, Kerem Asfuroglu of Dark Source, and Buglife’s David Smith!Find a bogong moth and listen in for an invertebrate driven show this month! And be sure to check out Buglife’s new ‘Don’t Neglect the Night’ campaign!53 min
- Establishing PrecedentOn this episode, a new crime study tells us that maybe streetlights aren’t as impactful as public officials claim they are; also this episode – do streetlights get a bad rap, and, what if a protective coating could drop satellite brightness by half!All this and much more engaging conversation to be had! With me this month are Sky and Telescope’s Kelly Beatty, fresh off of his recent cruise ship engagement, Dark Source’s Kerem Asfuroglu, and David Smith...who comes bearing a new campaign!You’ll certainly want to stick around for this one! All this is next!1 hr 2 min
- Why It's So Bright at Night? Interview with Citizens for Responsible Lighting (Norfolk, Va)
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In this episode of Why It’s So Bright at Night, host Bill McGeeney explores the growing movement in Norfolk, Virginia, led by Citizens for Responsible Lighting, a grassroots group advocating for smarter, healthier, and more environmentally responsible LED streetlighting.
The group formed after residents were disturbed by overly bright 3000K–4000K LEDs installed across the city starting in late 2023 as part of a $5 million retrofit project funded by a $3 million federal grant. Rather than thoughtfully implement the upgrade, Dominion Energy inserted high-CCT LEDs into existing fixtures—including decorative ones, causing excessive glare, poor light distribution, and widespread light trespass into homes and over Norfolk’s coastal waterways.
The guests—Mary Frances Bellman, Joe Reynes, and Lori Baccanari—stress that they are not anti-LED, but are pushing for thoughtful, expert-guided implementation. Their five key requests include:
- Using 2700K or lower CCT lighting (2400K in environmentally sensitive areas)
- Specifying Type II distribution
- Limiting lumens
- Applying effective shielding
- Adopting adaptive lighting controls
A thoughtful reimplementation would protect Nighttime visibility, reduce environmental harm to migratory species and amphibians, and minimize health risks like disrupted circadian rhythms, cancer, and dementia.
Despite presenting to over 40 civic leagues and briefing elected officials, the group faces institutional resistance rooted in outdated 2016–2017 lighting guidelines. Yet, they argue that their proposed approach is not only safer and healthier but cost-neutral, offering a generational opportunity to get urban lighting right from the start.
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...29 min - Why It’s So Bright at Night.We explore how one grassroots group is trying to improve nighttime lighting applications at a municipal level. In 2023, Norfolk, Virginia undertook an estimated $5M project to replace existing fixtures with LEDs. The result appears to have some negative externalities, resulting in the formation of the Norfolk, Virginia based, Citizens for Responsible Lighting community organization. With over 40 presentations under their belt, they are pressing the city of Norfolk to create a sustainable night environment, whereby citizens can enjoy a feeling of safety from targeted lighting that doesn't trespass from pathways or roads.29 min
- July 2025: Identity.
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This episode's guests:
- Babak Tafreshi, Photojournalist for National Geographic.
- Tom Reinert, Past President of Dark Sky International.
- Jeffrey Calta, President of the Pennsylvania Firefly Festival.
Bill's News Picks:
- How Atlanta’s ‘Light Up the Night’ program is making streets safer—one LED at a time, 11Alive.
- ‘The right light:’ Pittsburgh begins installing LED streetlights, Ed Blazina, Pittsburgh Union Progress.
- Photographer captures ghostly ripples over Colorado night sky. 'It is rare to see it directly overhead and moving like that' (photo), Daisy Dobrijevic, Space.com.
- Light Pollution Solutions - A Brazilian Port Uses Night-Vision Tech to Protect Wildlife, Georgia Wray Norsten, Cleanthesky.com.
Subscribe:
- Apple Podcast
- Spotify
- Youtube
Tag Us and Share with a Friend:
- TikTok
Connect:
- [email protected]
- Join our Mailing List
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
About Light Pollution News
From the publisher's feed
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 disappearing nighttime environment and the world around you.