light pollution

American  

noun

1. unwanted or harmful light, as from bright street lights or neon signs.

2. Astronomy. artificial illumination of the sky that sets a limit on the faintness of stars that can be observed or photographed.

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light pollution British  

noun

1. the glow from street and domestic lighting that obscures the night sky and hinders the observation of faint stars

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Etymology

Origin of light pollution

First recorded in 1970–75

Example Sentences

The plans sparked alarm in the astronomical community over fears that light pollution from the project would interfere with the nearby Paranal Observatory's current and future telescopes.

From Barron's

For example, it would have increased light pollution above the Very Large Telescope, which is made up of four individual telescopes, by at least 35 percent.

From Barron's

"To see them without a camera then its best to be as far away from light pollution as possible and to head for our dark sky status sites," he said.

From BBC

Dark sky status is given to an area when there is not a lot of light pollution from major cities and people can see clearly into the stars above.

From BBC

For the best chances of seeing a meteor shower, move away from light pollution, wrap up warm and let your eyes adjust to the night sky for at least 15 minutes.

From BBC