SUN JOURNAL • March 6, 2026
For thousands of years, dark skies pervaded but since man’s invention of artificial light, light pollution has limited truly dark skies to rare, extremely rural areas. Light pollution affects the health of both plants and animals that rely on natural cues visible only in true dark, according to the National Park Service. Further, the large amounts of energy needed to illuminate the night contributes to climate change. A growing body of research points to measurable adverse effects of light pollution on wildlife, plant development, human health, and energy consumption.