Mastodawn

Satellite Swarms Are Ruining Space Telescope Images, NASA Says https://petapixel.com/2025/12/04/satellite-swarms-are-ruining-space-telescope-images-nasa-says/ #jameswebbspacetelescope #hubblespacetelescope #starlinksattelites #lightpollution #satellite #starlink #spherex #streak #Space #News #NASA

Satellite Swarms Are Ruining Space Telescope Images, NASA Says

And it's only going to get worse.

PetaPixel

Christopher Kyba 🇨🇦🇪🇺1d ago

I played a part in a biology experiment 😃

A student placed European dung beetles in a circular arena in the URANIA-Planetarium in Potsdam, and recorded the paths they walked under four different light conditions (no stars, stars, stars + Milky Way, and the previous condition with an additional lamp). It's to some extent a replication of Marie Dacke's famous paper, but with a different species of dung beetle (that doesn't roll dung balls).

Check it out: https://link.springer.com/article/10.1186/s44329-025-00039-1 #LightPollution #Ecology #Beetles

Braye S.2d ago

#LightPollution has stolen majestic views of #stars and #constellations.

#CameraPollution has stolen the ability to feel at ease in public and private spaces.

🏷️ T a g s #Dystopia #dystopic #humanity #InvasionOfPrivacy #ModernLife #ModernLiving #Orwell #Orwellian #sousveillance #surveillance

Dr. John Barentine FRAS 2d ago

“These findings support the hypothesis that celestial bodies are used to optimise movement, an ancestral mechanism in insects, and indicate that even species evolved to live in dark forest habitat and partly underground, use such mechanism. However, this species’ navigation may not be affected by artificial light at night.”

https://link.springer.com/article/10.1186/s44329-025-00039-1

#Animals #Insects #Beetles #Ecology #Wildlife #LightPollution #ALAN

Do dung beetles use the Milky Way to optimise their movement? - BMC Environmental Science

Background The navigation of flying insects is known to be disrupted by artificial light at night (ALAN), causing problems for long-distance dispersal. This attraction to lamps, also known as the fatal attraction, also leads to increased mortality. This study aims to investigate whether insects that are known to use celestial information for epigeal movement (multimodel navigation) are affected by light pollution, for example by masking the necessary celestial information. Methods We observed the movement of 77 European dung beetles under varying light conditions, having captured them from their natural forest canopy and leaf-litter habitat. We offered them 4 different light condition in a planetarium: Illumination increased across four scales: (A) dark (without illumination), (B) a projection of a reduced number of stars, (C) with a projection of stars and the Milky Way (MW), and (D) with a lamp (ALAN point source) positioned 3 m distance from the test arena. Beetles were released facing North at the centre of a round arena and filmed from above. Their movement paths were analysed (Multivariate Analysis of Variance), and we investigated the directionality of the movement by comparing exit angles from a radius of 50 cm around the release point using a Rayleigh-test. Results The longest and most convoluted paths were observed under dark or limited stars (A and B), whereas paths under the illumination of either a lamp or stars & MW (C and D) were faster and less winding. The majority of beetles left the arena heading west with a narrow distribution of exit angles as the illumination increases. In the illuminated treatments, a proportion (30%) of animals exited in the exact opposite direction (180°). Conclusion These findings support the hypothesis that celestial bodies are used to optimise movement, an ancestral mechanism in insects, and indicate that even species evolved to live in dark forest habitat and partly underground, use such mechanism. However, this species´navigation may not be affected by artificial light at night.

SpringerLink

Christopher Kyba 🇨🇦🇪🇺2d ago

Sentinel 2 will be taking nighttime acquisitions TONIGHT, and the level 1B data will be available for TWO WEEKS ONLY following the acquisition: https://sentinels.copernicus.eu/web/sentinel/-/sentinel-2-nighttime-imaging-campaign

#RemoteSensing #NighttimeLights #NightLight #LightPollution #Sentinel2

Nikolas Kozloff 2d ago

Protect the #Atacama #Desert from #lightpollution!

https://apnews.com/article/chile-light-pollution-paranal-european-observatory-atacama-3bcecf18864c7eb294921b748fa9f3f5?utm_source=firefox-newtab-en-us

Astronomers push to protect Chile's night sky from an industrial project

Chile’s Atacama Desert is one of the darkest spots on Earth, a crown jewel for astronomers who flock to study the origins of the universe in this inhospitable desert along the Pacific coast. A rare confluence of factors makes the Atacama an ideal home for some of the world’s biggest astronomical projects – dry climate, high altitude and, crucially, isolation from the light pollution of civilization. But that may not be the case for much longer, leading scientists warned in a letter to Chile’s government released Tuesday. A company is pressing ahead with plans to construct a giant renewable energy complex in sight of one of Earth’s most productive astronomical facilities.

AP News

Lazarou Monkey Terror 🚀💙🌈3d ago

I presume this is the fancy new towers of Nine Elms reflecting off the clouds?

https://www.brixtonbuzz.com/2025/12/the-strange-white-band-in-the-sky-above-london-as-seen-from-brixton/

#Brixton #NineElms #London #LightPollution

The strange white band in the sky above London – as seen from Brixton

Our vantage point in Brixton gives us a great view across central London and Nine Elms and sometimes we see this curious band of light hovering above the ground. We assume it’s just lights fr…

Dr. John Barentine FRAS 4d ago

Researchers and practitioners from around the world recently gathered for the 9th International #Conference on Artificial Light At Night. Read more about insights from this event, including why the need to solve the problem of light pollution is more important than ever.

https://www.darkskyconsulting.com/blog/conference-report-alan-2025

#ALAN2025 #LightPollution #DarkSkies

Dr. John Barentine FRAS 6d ago

The International Commission on Illumination (CIE) has issued a new position statement on obtrusive lighting: https://files.cie.co.at/CIE%20PS%20003_2025%20CIE%20Position%20Statement%20-%20Obtrusive%20Light%20and%20Light%20Pollution.pdf

Not much is new here. It references other CIE documents and a few external sources, and it includes a "Roadmap to future guidance".

#LightPollution #Lighting #CIE

AstroHyde 6d ago

How about for #blackfriday weekend we all turn out the extra lights and go for a #darkskies starparty? Fits the theme for sure!
Plus, there's a chance of clearing this weekend, and little telescopes are great fun 😄
#astronomy #stargazing #Astrodon #telescopes #science #lightpollution