Light pollution and overnight lighting have had measurable impacts on fauna across the world, from sea turtle nesting to the migration patterns of birds. A new study from the United Kingdom has shed some light on how unnatural illumination is affecting the world’s plants as well. 

In data gathered from 1999 to 2011, a number of tree species exposed to artificial lighting were found to bud five to seven days earlier than their counterparts not exposed to artificial lights.

Light pollution causes more harm than simply ruining the view during a starry night. A new study has found that clownfish can’t raise any young when exposed to artificial light. 

The study observed 10 pairs of clownfish, with each pair in their own tank. Half of the clownfish couples experienced light as they would in a natural coral reef, with 12 hours of light and 12 hours of darkness. 

The other half of the clownfish were exposed to a low level of artificial light at night to mimic the light pollution from an average coastal town. 

When baby sea turtles hatch, their first instinct is to head toward the moonlight reflecting on the water’s surface — a natural waypoint that leads them to the sea. Hatchlings are drawn to the brightest thing they see, and in developed areas the brightest thing is no longer the moon, but the street and hotel lights.

This disorients the baby turtles and leads many of them away from the ocean, causing dehydration, starvation, and an increased chance of getting eaten. 

Mauna Kea is one of the most important locations in the astronomy world. Located on the main island of Hawaii, Mauna Kea is a million-year-old dormant volcano. With its peak reaching 13,803 feet above sea level, Mauna Kea is the world’s tallest volcano, making it the perfect spot to host some of the greatest telescope and astronomical observatories ever created. 

Twice a year more than 5 million birds from at least 250 different species fly through the city of Chicago alone as they head toward Canada in the spring and return south toward Central and South America in the fall. Though beautiful, the Windy City’s skyline can prove fatal to a number of birds who collide with glass-covered or illuminated buildings. 

Studies have estimated at least 100 million bird deaths related to light pollution in cities throughout the United States per year, and some estimates put that number closer to one billion deaths per year. 

Compared to traditional lighting practices, LED lighting yields a wide variety of advantages. In today’s markets, there are many lighting options at businesses’ disposal. However, LEDs offer improvements in every regard, making them the light source of choice for warehouses, parking lots, offices, streetlights and more. 

We’ve gone into great detail before about the major differences between LEDs and halogen, incandescent, and CFL lights. Now, we’ll determine all the advantages to switching your office, warehouse, or commercial building to LED lighting.  

The Dark-Sky Movement is a worldwide campaign to reduce light pollution. The movement's goal is to decrease light pollution in order to preserve the natural night sky. 

Since our initial discovery of light pollution, amateur and professional astronomers alike have worked towards protecting the night sky. Faced with the unstoppable expansion of urbanization, astronomers began making efforts to reduce the effects of city lighting and skyglow. Today, the movement is stronger than ever and continues to fight for more responsible lighting practices.