As people interested in the night sky, we’re often aware of Light Pollution’s most direct impact on us (indeed it’s increasingly difficult to escape it) but sometimes forget about its other influences too. Animals (including humans) are affected by light in ways which often aren’t obvious until you know about them.

The short video below, which features some beautiful time-lapses, is from a series entitled “Hidden Costs of…” by an American insurance company, and shows some of these other influences of the light which floods our environment.

There is an accompanying article to the video (link: http://www.insurancequotes.org/hidden-cost-light-pollution – please note that although it’s on the insurance company’s website, this is not spam and its presence as a link here is not an endorsement by the LAS).

Here is a short sample from the full article:

The globe has never been so electrified. Today, most of Europe, the United States and all of Japan appear as solid blocks of light in satellite photos. Meanwhile, the stars have been all but extinguished from our night skies. The Earth is now readily visible from space, but space is no longer visible from Earth.

It’s worth a read.

Let us know your thoughts on the video and light pollution in the comments at the bottom of this page.

Video used with permission of and copyright to L. Nilson / Hidden Costs / Insurance Quotes