Light Pollution News Podcast

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 o...

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 ou...

On 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 e...

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 p...

How should we be framing night preservation issues? What on earth is airglow? And what do you need to take photos of fireflies? This episode, I welcome back Jeff Calta of the Pennsylvania Firefly Festival and Tom Reinert of Dark Sky International. And I also welcome Babak Tafreshi to the show! Settle in, you’re about to get some helpful tips to improve your nighttime photography!

This episode, we take a deep dive into fireflies. And that’s a good thing because we have the President of the Pennsylvania Firefly Festival, Jeff Calta, here to talk about everything related to our little flying friends. Also here, is Dark Sky International’s Tom Reinert! We talk about the importance of data collection; how three townships in Ohio turned off the lights for mayflies; and we asked...

We finish out our stellar June lineup by exploring our ancient relationship with the night. We always knew chocolate at night was a good thing, but dang, the Mayans took it to a whole new level! Can the stars heal the mind? A new dark sky trail, and much more! This month, I welcome back Editor-in-Chief of one of my favorite magazines, Astronomy Magazine – David Eicher; the host of the Restoring Da...

Wow, we have a great one for you today! Starting with – are you afraid of the dark? You may be shocked by our panel’s answer! Citizen science looks at light’s effects on butterflies. And East Riding of Yorkshire is testing the waters on some no light roadways. This month, I welcome the host of the Restoring Darkness podcast, Michael Colligan; Editor in Chief of Astronomy Magazine, David Eicher; an...

This week, how does light make you feel? Can satellites change the chemistry of our atmosphere? And, did you know that you can buy old bridge lighting? A man in Queens did just that for…well most of…the Brooklyn Bridge. This month, we welcome back conservationist Michael Calhoun, landscaper Phyllis Gricus, and astronomer Dr. Robert Massey!

Join us today as we talk about some dark sky messaging fails, why salmon need you to switch the lights off, and…oh hey…streetlights with headdresses – what the! This month, I welcome conservationist Michael Calhoun, garden landscaper Phyllis Gricus, and from the Royal Astronomical Society, Dr. Robert Massey!

Ever hear of the #9PMRoutine? It's a public awareness campaign by North American law enforcement. Art Hushen returns to help break down why this simple messaging presents serious problems for our night sky.

Today, are e-ink outdoor displays the wave of the future? More proof that shielded street lights do more than just keep the light out of your bedroom! And have you ever wanted to stargaze but live in a bright night city, hogwash, we help you find something great to look at tonight! This month, we welcome back author and travel writer, Stephanie Vermillion; Dark Sky Ohio’s Traci Cardinal, and the A...

This week, we learn about an airport that has started down its path to become Dark Sky certified, have you heard of the cautionary tale of Goldendale, WA? We’ll be sure to fill you in!…and we learn about the one noctourism adventure that you need to check off of your list in 2025! This month, I welcome Dark Sky Ohio’s Traci Cardinal, the Actual Astronomy Podcast’s Shane Ludke, and author, travel w...

This episode, headlights, interior lights – what is going on with car lights?!? And should we leave the lights ON for puffins? Plus, how much do you spend on getting a good night’s sleep? This month, on the show I welcome Los Angeles dark sky advocate, Spencer SooHoo; the founder of the Dark Skies subreddit, Jeff Schmalz; and the law enforcement veteran and educator, Art Hushen!

Today, we talk lighting and crime, look at the importance of coalition building, and what would you say about some visually impressive light art? This month, on the show I welcome Los Angeles dark sky advocate, Spencer SooHoo; the founder of the Dark Skies subreddit, Jeff Schmalz; and the law enforcement veteran and educator, Art Hushen!

This episode, what on earth is going on with Breckenridge, CO’s dark sky ordinance roll out! We learn about the San Francisco Bay Bridge relighting, and would you take on a volunteer assignment to maintain a 113 year old lighthouse in Lake Michigan?

Today, is a very special episode, we talk all things you ever wondered about Street Lights! And how do you feel about having a new, scalable way to measure the night’s brightness?

Can artificial light at night affect pollinators? And we have some thoughtful debate on the new Dark Sky policy packages. Finally, what’s your favorite starry sky destination for 2025? We’d love to know, shoot us over a message and we’ll add it to the list next show! This show, we welcome back Dr. Mario Motta, Lighting Professional Glenn Heinmiller, and advocate, David Lefevre!

Today, what should we make of all of these health studies? Lucky for us, we have Dr. Mario Motta on board to walk us through the recent health news! And, do we have a shifting baseline syndrome when it comes to darkness? To help us answer this question and more, we welcome advocate, David Lefevre and lighting professional, Glenn Heinmiller!

We have a special holiday bonus episode of the Light Pollution News podcast out today! We invited podcast guests from episodes throughout the year to share their favorite articles of 2024 with us. We have a great and entertaining discussion for you!

In this episode, China launches their version of Starlink – but how dim will they be? Hint, you’re not going to like the answer. Two communities push for more responsible lighting practices. And could you tell space junk apart from a meteor? We finish 2024 with Dr. Travis Longcore and author, Paul Bogard! Here we go, Light Pollution News is next!

This episode, what would cause the moon to drive up instances of road kill, we take a look at how some past cultures engaged with night, and is it really light pollution, or is it fright pollution? This month, I’m very excited to be joined by two people you probably need no introduction for, Dr. Travis Longcore and author, Mr. Paul Bogard! A new Light Pollution News – coming up next!

This show, one man in New Zealand is attempting to bring standards to the space economy, the lights go dim over storm ravaged southern towns, and wouldn’t it be interesting if you could build your own sky quality meter? Instructions included in today’s show! I couldn’t be more thrilled about this month’s panel, including Kevin Beare, whom you may know better as CapeMayAstro, Michael Rymer from Dar...

In this episode, we look at the tale of the Bethany Beach firefly – will it go on the endangered list? Is Noctalgia driving astrotourism? And, we talk about firefox mushrooms and foxfire browsers, or is it the other way around? I have a fun panel for you this month. From Instagram CapeMayAstro’s Kevin Beare, Dark Sky’s Michael Rymer dials in while he escapades around the west in search of the perf...

Today, there’s a conflicting study on night shift melatonin levels, a citizen science project on moths that you could do yourself, and a new tower in Greece sets the standard for green, including by reducing light pollution! What a panel I have for you this month! From the YouTube Channel, Nebula Photos, Nico Carver joins me! Thought leader and entrepreneur, Nancy Clanton! Oh and we also have this...