Chasing the Fading Night: Mapping Light Pollution Through Skyglow in Lincoln, Nebraska

Overview

The industrialization of our society has caused a number of problems for the natural environment. One of these problems is light pollution, which comes from excess and unwanted light from artificial sources. The primary effect of light pollution is skyglow, which is excess light bouncing off of the air and back towards the ground. Not only does skyglow obscure our view of the night sky, it has a host of harmful effects for both humans and the environment, disrupting biological rhythms and interfering with navigation. Lincoln, Nebraska is a modern city, and is thus affected by light pollution and has a fair amount of skyglow. This project focuses on mapping skyglow in Lincoln for a greater understanding of how it’s caused and distributed. This was done by gathering data at different distances in along eight transects radiating in different directions. Once the data was analyzed, it was found that skyglow does not change significantly for most of the city’s area. This means that common artificial lights sources such as streetlights are creating a constant cover of skyglow throughout the city. With this understanding, measures can be taken to implement more environmentally friendly streetlights. This would improve sky quality throughout Lincoln and improve the lives of the people and wildlife who live there.

Competition history

• AJAS 2024 Category not listed

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