24/08/2026
๐ง๐๐ถ๐ป๐ธ๐น๐ฒ, ๐ง๐๐ถ๐ป๐ธ๐น๐ฒ, ๐๐ถ๐๐๐น๐ฒ ๐ฆ๐๐ฎ๐ฟโฆ ๐ป๐ผ๐ ๐๐ต๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ฒ ๐ฎ๐ฟ๐ฒ ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐น๐ถ๐๐๐น๐ฒ ๐๐๐ฎ๐ฟ๐?
Once, the night sky was a storybook.
Children looked upward and learned their first poem: โTwinkle, twinkle, little star, how I wonder what you are.โ The stars were not just distant points of light; they were part of childhood, imagination, culture, and our connection with nature.
But today, in many cities, children may know the poem without ever seeing the sky it describes. The stars are slowly disappearing not because they are gone from the universe, but because artificial light is hiding them from us.
๐ช๐ต๐ฒ๐ป ๐ก๐ถ๐ด๐ต๐ ๐ก๐ผ ๐๐ผ๐ป๐ด๐ฒ๐ฟ ๐๐ฒ๐ฒ๐น๐ ๐๐ถ๐ธ๐ฒ ๐ก๐ถ๐ด๐ต๐
Light pollution is the excessive or poorly directed use of artificial light at night. Streetlights, buildings, advertisements, shopping centers, offices, vehicles and brightly illuminated public spaces can turn the darkness of night into an artificial glow.
According to the World Atlas of Artificial Night Sky Brightness, around 80 percent of the world's population lives under sky glow. In heavily populated areas, seeing the Milky Way or even a sky full of stars has become increasingly difficult.
๐ง๐ต๐ฒ ๐ฝ๐ฟ๐ผ๐ฏ๐น๐ฒ๐บ ๐ถ๐ ๐บ๐ผ๐ฟ๐ฒ ๐๐ต๐ฎ๐ป ๐น๐ผ๐๐ถ๐ป๐ด ๐ฎ ๐ฏ๐ฒ๐ฎ๐๐๐ถ๐ณ๐๐น ๐๐ถ๐ฒ๐
Artificial light at night can interfere with the body's natural circadian rhythm, the internal clock that helps regulate sleep and other biological processes. Excessive nighttime light can suppress melatonin, a hormone associated with sleep regulation, and has been linked to sleep disruption and other health concerns.
๐ ๐ฃ๐ฟ๐ผ๐ฏ๐น๐ฒ๐บ ๐ณ๐ผ๐ฟ ๐ง๐ต๐ผ๐๐ฒ ๐ช๐ต๐ผ ๐๐ฎ๐ป๐ป๐ผ๐ ๐ฆ๐ฝ๐ฒ๐ฎ๐ธ
Humans are not the only ones affected.
Many animals depend on natural darkness. Migrating birds can become confused by illuminated buildings and lose their routes. Sea turtle hatchlings, which naturally move toward the brightest horizon created by moonlight reflecting over the ocean, can be attracted toward artificial lights instead of the sea.
Insects are also drawn toward artificial lights, disrupting feeding and reproduction and potentially affecting the animals that depend on them for food. Even marine ecosystems can be affected when artificial light reaches the water. For wildlife, darkness is not empty space. It is habitat.
๐ ๐ผ๐ฟ๐ฒ ๐๐ถ๐ด๐ต๐ ๐๐ผ๐ฒ๐ ๐ก๐ผ๐ ๐๐น๐๐ฎ๐๐ ๐ ๐ฒ๐ฎ๐ป ๐ ๐ผ๐ฟ๐ฒ ๐ฆ๐ฎ๐ณ๐ฒ๐๐
We often assume that brighter streets and buildings automatically make our surroundings safer. But excessive, unshielded lighting can create glare, making it harder to see clearly.
The answer is not necessarily more light. It is better light. Lights can be shielded so they illuminate the ground instead of sending light into the sky. Timers and motion sensors can prevent unnecessary lighting. Businesses and households can switch off lights when they are not needed.
These small changes can reduce energy waste while helping restore the natural darkness of the night.
๐๐ฒ๐ ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐ฆ๐๐ฎ๐ฟ๐ ๐๐ผ๐บ๐ฒ ๐๐ฎ๐ฐ๐ธ
Unlike many environmental problems, light pollution is largely reversible.
We do not need to return to a world without electricity. We simply need to become smarter about how we use it. Government can introduce better outdoor-lighting standards. Cities can protect dark-sky areas. Businesses can reduce unnecessary illumination. Communities can participate in โlights outโ initiatives during bird migration. And individuals can switch off unnecessary outdoor lights, use warm and appropriately directed lighting, and close curtains at night.
๐๐๐ฎ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐ป๐ฒ๐๐ ๐ถ๐ ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐ณ๐ถ๐ฟ๐๐ ๐๐๐ฒ๐ฝ, ๐ฏ๐๐ ๐ฎ๐ฐ๐๐ถ๐ผ๐ป ๐ถ๐ ๐๐ต๐ฎ๐ ๐ฏ๐ฟ๐ถ๐ป๐ด๐ ๐ฐ๐ต๐ฎ๐ป๐ด๐ฒ.
Perhaps one day, a child will look up from a quiet street and see hundreds of stars scattered across the darkness.
Perhaps then, when someone says, โTwinkle, twinkle, little star,โ the child will not have to imagine what a star looks like. Because the stars were never truly gone. We simply covered them with our lights. And if we learn to turn some of those lights off, the night sky may yet find its way back to us.
Written by:
Adiba Islam || Deputy Director || Research & Publications Department || Earth's Ants
