Pawb.Social Reports @transparency

Dr. John Barentine FRASBetter yet: don’t light your garden at all. “Since artificial light in gardens disrupts natural behaviour for a range of wildlife, it’s important to retain some dark areas and also question whether you really need lighting, says the RHS.”<a href="https://www.irishtimes.com/life-style/people/2025/03/31/this-trend-for-lighting-up-gardens-may-seem-an-inviting-one-but-it-needs-to-be-done-with-care/" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" translate="no" target="_blank">https://www.irishtimes.com/life-style/people/2025/03/31/this-trend-for-lighting-up-gardens-may-seem-an-inviting-one-but-it-needs-to-be-done-with-care/</a><a href="https://astrodon.social/tags/ALAN" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#ALAN</a> <a href="https://astrodon.social/tags/DarkSkies" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#DarkSkies</a> <a href="https://astrodon.social/tags/LightPollution" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#LightPollution</a> <a href="https://astrodon.social/tags/Wildlife" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#Wildlife</a> <a href="https://astrodon.social/tags/Ecology" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#Ecology</a> <a href="https://astrodon.social/tags/Gardening" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#Gardening</a>

Christopher Kyba 🇨🇦🇪🇺New paper shows that moth numbers are reduced in areas with higher levels of <a href="https://fediscience.org/tags/skyglow" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#skyglow</a> compared to areas with lower levels of skyglow, regardless of whether one is near streetlights or not: <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envpol.2025.126068" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" translate="no" target="_blank">https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envpol.2025.126068</a><a href="https://fediscience.org/tags/LightPollution" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#LightPollution</a> <a href="https://fediscience.org/tags/Moths" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#Moths</a> <a href="https://fediscience.org/tags/Pollinators" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#Pollinators</a> <a href="https://fediscience.org/tags/Night" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#Night</a>

Christopher Kyba 🇨🇦🇪🇺Last night, Sicco Bauer and I made simultaneous observations of the GOES 12 satellite through an <a href="https://fediscience.org/tags/eVscope" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#eVscope</a>. Sicco was in Dresden, I was in Bochum (~450 km apart).We both see a dramatic brightening of the satellite as it passes through the (different) field of view.It's maybe not surprising, because the satellite is so far away that the angular difference is <1 degree. But still, it's cool that this can be done, and shows the utility of the setup.<a href="https://fediscience.org/tags/Satellite" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#Satellite</a> <a href="https://fediscience.org/tags/LightPollution" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#LightPollution</a> <a href="https://fediscience.org/tags/Astronomy" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#Astronomy</a> <a href="https://fediscience.org/tags/Telescope" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#Telescope</a>

Christopher Kyba 🇨🇦🇪🇺Incidentally, the same approach was used by German U-Boats during <a href="https://fediscience.org/tags/WorldWar2" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#WorldWar2</a>, which prompted the US military to undertake what is likely the largest <a href="https://fediscience.org/tags/LightPollution" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#LightPollution</a> study ever conducted: <a href="https://apps.dtic.mil/sti/citations/ADA954894" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" translate="no" target="_blank">https://apps.dtic.mil/sti/citations/ADA954894</a>

Christopher Kyba 🇨🇦🇪🇺Plants and animals are different [citation needed], but we've both evolved on the same Earth. So the physiology of animals is also affected by exposure to <a href="https://fediscience.org/tags/LightPollution" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#LightPollution</a>, and this extends to humans and <a href="https://fediscience.org/tags/HumanHealth" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#HumanHealth</a>.We have the problem that we spend most of the day indoors under artificial lights (much darker than natural day), and then spend the evening indoors under artificial lights (much brighter than natural night). Especially for night owls, this lack of a clear day/night signal screws up our internal <a href="https://fediscience.org/tags/Circadian" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#Circadian</a> clocks. These clocks control things like metabolism, so messing with them causes <a href="https://fediscience.org/tags/health" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#health</a> problems: <a href="https://doi.org/10.1177/23727322231193967" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" translate="no" target="_blank">https://doi.org/10.1177/23727322231193967</a>

Christopher Kyba 🇨🇦🇪🇺This is my favorite photo for demonstrating the impact of <a href="https://fediscience.org/tags/LightPollution" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#LightPollution</a> on physiology. The image was taken by shows a soybean field illuminated by a badly directed streetlight.What's happening here is that soybeans are supposed to grow leaves in the early part of summer, and as nights get longer, they should make <a href="https://fediscience.org/tags/soybeans" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#soybeans</a> and turn brown. In the green area, the plants don't understand what time of year it is, and it's therefore a complete loss for the farmer.The reason I love the photo so much is because you can see the shadow of the light mast on the field.The photo was taken by Dwaine Eddie McGriff & Ben Tankersley, and originally posted to Xitter (the post no longer exists).The problem could be entirely solved by using a streetlight with strong backlight shielding (i.e. shining the light only on the roadway).

Christopher Kyba 🇨🇦🇪🇺We know that when artificial light shines directly from a light source onto living things at night, it affects their behavior and physiology. But what about the diffuse glow of the night sky, does that affect the environment?Turns out it does. Read more in this brief thread 🧵 <a href="https://fediscience.org/tags/Skyglow" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#Skyglow</a> image by <a href="https://vis.social/@andreas_jechow" class="u-url mention" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">@andreas_jechow</a><a href="https://fediscience.org/tags/LightPollution" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#LightPollution</a> <a href="https://fediscience.org/tags/Ecology" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#Ecology</a> <a href="https://fediscience.org/tags/Pollution" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#Pollution</a>

StefanoGaivotaDo any of you know why Browne Island, Australia is glowing so brightly?Is that Browne island?<a href="https://universeodon.com/tags/Australia" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#Australia</a> <a href="https://universeodon.com/tags/Bortle" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#Bortle</a> <a href="https://universeodon.com/tags/LightPollution" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#LightPollution</a> <a href="https://universeodon.com/tags/SkyBrightness" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#SkyBrightness</a> <a href="https://universeodon.com/tags/Map" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#Map</a>

Dr. John Barentine FRASFélicitations to everyone involved in today's announcement of Landes de Gascogne Regional Natural Park in <a href="https://astrodon.social/tags/France" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#France</a> as the world's newest International Dark Sky Place. 🇫🇷<a href="https://darksky.org/news/landes-de-gascogne-regional-natural-park-becomes-the-sixth-international-dark-sky-reserve-reserve-internationale-de-ciel-etoile-rice-in-france/" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" translate="no" target="_blank">https://darksky.org/news/landes-de-gascogne-regional-natural-park-becomes-the-sixth-international-dark-sky-reserve-reserve-internationale-de-ciel-etoile-rice-in-france/</a><a href="https://astrodon.social/tags/DarkSkies" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#DarkSkies</a> <a href="https://astrodon.social/tags/LightPollution" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#LightPollution</a> <a href="https://astrodon.social/tags/Conservation" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#Conservation</a> <a href="https://astrodon.social/tags/Parks" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#Parks</a> <a href="https://astrodon.social/tags/IDSP" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#IDSP</a>

Christopher Kyba 🇨🇦🇪🇺Hey <a href="https://fediscience.org/tags/LightPollution" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#LightPollution</a> people: <a href="https://mastodon.social/@aubema" class="u-url mention" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">@aubema</a> is now on Mastodon!

Christopher Kyba 🇨🇦🇪🇺New <a href="https://fediscience.org/tags/Introduction" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#Introduction</a> at Fediscience:I'm an environmental scientist with an interest in the night, and how we change it with artificial light.I am Canadian and live in Germany. I most frequently post about science and <a href="https://fediscience.org/tags/LightPollution" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#LightPollution</a>.In the photo below, the light was installed backwards, so that it shone on the flowers instead of the stairs for a decade 🤦‍♂️

Christopher KybaOn 30 January 2025, the Royal Astronomical Society will hold a free one-day conference on Light Pollution and its Impacts at our offices in Burlington House, London.It's a hybrid meeting, you can sign up to join here: <a href="https://ras.ac.uk/events-and-meetings/ras-public-events/save-date-light-pollution-and-its-impacts" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" translate="no" target="_blank">https://ras.ac.uk/events-and-meetings/ras-public-events/save-date-light-pollution-and-its-impacts</a><a href="https://vis.social/tags/LightPollution" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#LightPollution</a> <a href="https://vis.social/tags/RAS" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#RAS</a>

Daniel Scher 📷After two happy years on the Fediverse (and many more to come as I feel so at home here), time for an updated <a href="https://federate.social/tags/introduction" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#introduction</a> post!You will find me sharing mostly <a href="https://federate.social/tags/LandscapePhotography" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#LandscapePhotography</a>, <a href="https://federate.social/tags/NightPhotography" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#NightPhotography</a>, <a href="https://federate.social/tags/MacroPhotography" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#MacroPhotography</a> and <a href="https://federate.social/tags/BirdPhotography" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#BirdPhotography</a>.I am also interested in <a href="https://federate.social/tags/astronomy" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#astronomy</a> and <a href="https://federate.social/tags/LightPollution" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#LightPollution</a>.Looking forward to continuing to have a great time on this platform.Below are a few of my landscape photos.

Christopher KybaA study from the Berlin Senate showed that highway lights have no measurable influence on collision statistics. After this result, and further improvement of retroreflectors and other markings, the Berlin highway lighting wil be almost entirely extinguished step-by-step during 2025: <a href="https://viz.berlin.de/aktuelle-meldungen/beleuchtung-auf-den-stadtautobahnen-wird-abgeschaltet/" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" translate="no" target="_blank">https://viz.berlin.de/aktuelle-meldungen/beleuchtung-auf-den-stadtautobahnen-wird-abgeschaltet/</a>Belgium also turned off a huge fraction of its highway lighting two years ago without incident.<a href="https://vis.social/tags/RoadStandards" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#RoadStandards</a> <a href="https://vis.social/tags/LightPollution" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#LightPollution</a> <a href="https://vis.social/tags/Safety" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#Safety</a> <a href="https://vis.social/tags/GlobalEnvironmentalChange" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#GlobalEnvironmentalChange</a>

malteI live in a part of the city that used to be dark in the night and recently got 24/7 light on the street installed. I miss the dark and have to go far into the countryside to escape the pollution. We could save a lot of energy by switching off the lights at night. But mostly I just miss real darkness. <a href="https://radikal.social/tags/lightpollution" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#lightpollution</a> <a href="https://radikal.social/tags/overdevelopment" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#overdevelopment</a> <a href="https://radikal.social/tags/degrowth" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#degrowth</a>

BellingenNSWThis female Rhinoceros Beetle was trapped by human infrastructure and artificial lights. When it was freed it made a loud hissing squeak by rubbing its wings against the abdomen. This (6 cm ) female has a shining black armour and golden fur on the belly. The males have huge horns and are said to be the strongest animal on the planet. They are able to lift up to 850 times their own body weight. The strong 'claws' did not want to let go of that hand. It is back in the bush now.Rhinoceros Beetles <a href="https://www.brisbaneinsects.com/brisbane_scarabs/R_Beetle.htm" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" translate="no" target="_blank">https://www.brisbaneinsects.com/brisbane_scarabs/R_Beetle.htm</a> <a href="https://www.lfwseq.org.au/star-wars-beetle-world/" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" translate="no" target="_blank">https://www.lfwseq.org.au/star-wars-beetle-world/</a> <a href="https://mastodon.au/tags/RhinocerosBeetle" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#RhinocerosBeetle</a> <a href="https://mastodon.au/tags/invertebrates" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#invertebrates</a> <a href="https://mastodon.au/tags/beetle" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#beetle</a> <a href="https://mastodon.au/tags/scarabaeidae" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#scarabaeidae</a> <a href="https://mastodon.au/tags/Xylotrupes" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#Xylotrupes</a> <a href="https://mastodon.au/tags/mulch" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#mulch</a> <a href="https://mastodon.au/tags/LightPollution" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#LightPollution</a> <a href="https://mastodon.au/tags/NSW" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#NSW</a>

Christopher KybaFor 12 months last year, my colleagues and I worked on a Mission Description Document for a hypothetical future nighttime lights satellite mission. We were funded by <a href="https://vis.social/tags/ESA" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#ESA</a> as part of the <a href="https://vis.social/tags/NEOMI" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#NEOMI</a> program.We've just now published the document, as well as our three Task Reports that provide the justification for the numbers in the MDD. Check it out! <a href="https://doi.org/10.48440/GFZ.B103-24052" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" translate="no" target="_blank">https://doi.org/10.48440/GFZ.B103-24052</a>Big thanks to ESA for the opportunity and letting us publish it openly.<a href="https://vis.social/tags/EarthObservation" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#EarthObservation</a> <a href="https://vis.social/tags/RemoteSensing" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#RemoteSensing</a> <a href="https://vis.social/tags/LightPollution" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#LightPollution</a>

Dave xxxiv 🇨🇦📷🔭✨Periodic reminder that there are bad and good ways to implement light fixtures.The "bad" ways actually make it *more* difficult for you to 'see' (because of glare). And they also cause <a href="https://mastodon.social/tags/LightPollution" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#LightPollution</a> which negatively impacts our environment, including human health.It is possible to light a city/town with lights which minimize light pollution, minimizes environment impact and actually makes it better for visibility.

AuscandocComparing the Effect of <a href="https://med-mastodon.com/tags/LightPollution" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#LightPollution</a> Before & After Dunedin, New Zealand, Changed to LED Lighting <a href="https://earthlymission.com/comparing-effect-light-pollution-dunedin-new-zealand-before-after-led-lighting-sodium-lights/" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" translate="no" target="_blank">https://earthlymission.com/comparing-effect-light-pollution-dunedin-new-zealand-before-after-led-lighting-sodium-lights/</a>

Mark McCaughreanSign of the times. There are lots of timelapses of the lovely Comet C/2023 A3 Tsuchinshan-ATLAS on the net ☄️But watch a few & you’ll quickly notice many have huge numbers of passing satellites in them, often in similar orbits 🛰️🛰️🛰️It doesn’t take a genius to realise that most of these belong to one guy who’s commandeering the public commons to further enrich himself.Screenshot credit: fernanfegal @ Instagram<a href="https://www.instagram.com/reel/DAl5QWMSLBR/?igsh=bm9qc2l3cmphMTM1" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" translate="no" target="_blank">https://www.instagram.com/reel/DAl5QWMSLBR/?igsh=bm9qc2l3cmphMTM1</a><a href="https://mastodon.social/tags/comet" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#comet</a> <a href="https://mastodon.social/tags/comet2023a3" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#comet2023a3</a> <a href="https://mastodon.social/tags/starlink" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#starlink</a> <a href="https://mastodon.social/tags/lightpollution" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#lightpollution</a>

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