By Barney Nelson.
People are enchanted by low light. It seems romantic, exotic, mysterious. It's also cheap. I've been reading a book, "The End of Night" by Paul Bogard. One of his most profound ideas is that people often say dark skies only benefit astronomers, but that is like saying the Grand Canyon only benefits geologists. He says kids are growing up who have never seen the Big Dipper or even the moon because cities are so garishly lit. He says light pollution is expensive and wasteful, harming our birds, our mental and physical health, our sleep, and our ability to think.