From Delhi’s rooftops to Ladakh’s high deserts, the stars are fading. The Milky Way, once etched across the night sky, is now invisible to nearly 80 per cent of the global population. Astronomers and conservationists warn that light pollution, the unchecked sprawl of artificial illumination—is erasing one of humanity’s oldest connections to the cosmos.
Unlike smog or garbage, light pollution hides in plain sight: an amber glow above urban skylines that thickens each year. “Eighty per cent of the world is now light-polluted. We’ve lost our skies in silence, without even noticing,” says Ramashish Ray, founder of Starscapes Experiences, an astro-tourism venture that depends on dark skies for stargazing.
India’s expanding cities, marked by rapid urbanisation, high-intensity LED installations and unregulated floodlighting, are accelerating the loss. From Gurgaon’s glass towers to Jaipur’s heritage precincts, layers of glare now swallow entire constellations.
The disappearance of starlight is not merely an aesthetic tragedy. It has profound consequences for ecosystems and human health.
Nocturnal species, bats, beetles, moths, sea turtles and migratory birds, depend on natural darkness to hunt, navigate and breed. Excessive lighting disorients them, disrupting ecological balances. “Light pollution doesn’t just affect stargazers. It kills bats, beetles, insects, and birds that navigate in the dark of the night. Conservation isn’t only about tigers; it’s about preserving darkness too,” Ray warns.
For humans, the intrusion of artificial light into circadian rhythms has been linked to insomnia, stress, headaches and rising metabolic disorders. Sleep researchers now place urban light pollution alongside air and noise pollution as a pressing health concern.
Satellites: the new disruptors
Beyond terrestrial lighting, the flood of satellites in orbit is reshaping the night sky itself. SpaceX alone operates over 8,300 satellites under its Starlink constellation, with tens of thousands more planned by multiple companies.
For scientists, long-exposure images now show bright trails streaking across constellations, obstructing deep-sky research. For casual stargazers, the effect is disorienting. What was once a static tapestry of stars is being transformed into a cluttered canopy of moving lights.
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Globally, “dark sky reserves” are emerging as sanctuaries where outdoor lighting is strictly regulated. These zones protect biodiversity while safeguarding humanity’s cultural and scientific relationship with the cosmos.
“Just as India created wildlife reserves, we can create dark sky reserves. Protecting the night is as important as protecting the forest. It’s the same fight for balance,” Ray argues.
India has taken its first step with the Hanle Dark Sky Reserve in Ladakh, one of the highest-altitude observatories in the world. Experts say the deserts of Jaisalmer, the plateaus of Ladakh and the valleys of Spiti are natural candidates for future reserves.
What must change
Specialists suggest a pragmatic approach: shielded, downward-facing lamps instead of floodlights; warm-toned, low-intensity LEDs to cut glare; and urban lighting regulations as strict as those governing waste or noise.
Public awareness is equally critical. Recognising starlight as a natural heritage-worthy of protection alongside rivers and forests, may galvanise communities to demand change. “Light pollution is no less damaging than garbage on our streets. We simply don’t see it because it hides in plain sight, glowing above us,” Ray adds.
For millennia, the stars guided farmers, sailors, poets and scientists. Without urgent intervention, future generations may inherit only photographs and myths of a sky where galaxies once stretched unbroken across the horizon.
The battle for darkness, scientists stress, is more than nostalgia. It is a fight for ecological balance, human health and cultural memory, a fight for the stars themselves.
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