When you consider outdoor night-time lighting, do you think of the brightest possible illumination that drowns the area in glaring, overbearing beams? You’re not alone. So much of this wasted and intrusive light—common in city environments—does nothing to enhance safety or security, and wastes energy and money in the process. Combined with the light of all of our urban neighbors this light pollution, as it is often called, detracts from our view of the universe seen through the sky.

August 12th marks the day that some of us will head outdoors and view the Perseid meteor shower.

In this video, Rita Carls of the Challenger Center for Space Science Education explains what the Perseids meteor shower is, when and where to view and the difference between meteors, meteorites and meteoroids.

Star viewing sites throughout the US are being abandoned. Because of the growing problem of light pollution, or "urban sky glow" as some call it, night skies are becoming increasingly obscured by excessive amounts of illumination emanating from our cities.

Funny how blackouts can inspire good green thinking. Many cities throughout North America have experienced blackouts, rolling or otherwise, over the last few years. And some of these lights-out periods have spurred more than a little thinking on how to reduce overall energy consumption, not least of which is what we use to light our streets and homes at night.

I was shocked to read today that overexposure to artificial light may actually increase a person’s chance of getting cancer. Yes, in recent studies by the Harvard Medical School and the University of Connecticut have reported that the incidences of cancer—colorectal and breast, in particular—are much higher in people deprived of darkness and/or overexposed to artificial light.

Ever had to don sunglasses when eating dinner to protect your eyes from the glaring brightness of streetlamps? Does sleep escape you because of the blinding illumination coming from overly powerful public light fixtures?

That’s been the experience of recent District of Columbia residents who have had to endure newly installed, distractingly bright streetlamps. Chosen for their beautiful, old-world styling and excellent energy efficiency, they’re the envy of anyone who sees them—at least anyone who visits the area. Residents tell a different story.

While the new high-pressure sodium lights are the most energy efficient, cost-effective option for public lighting, they aren’t necessarily kind to the night-time environment. They spill light upwards, through the windows of residents, causing widespread cases of insomnia. It’s what many are now calling light pollution, and it’s becoming an increasingly common story.

Ever since the discovery of fire, and since then, the development of the electric light, humans have had a love affair with illumination. We love to light up the night environment in order to feel safe by seeing what lies beyond. We feel more secure when there’s more light, and who could blame us?

But the assumption that more and more light is better is being challenged again and again by wildlife protection advocates, astronomers, and health care professionals. And now, even individual citizens are jumping in the fray by taking action against neighbors with lighting that’s trespassing on their private property.

That’s what one Louisiana resident recently did, at least. His neighbor built a garish dock across the bayou from his home that included an amazing array of lighting. Reports say that this lighting actually reached over 100 feet across the bayou into the neighbor’s yard, making it difficult for the disturbed homeowner to sleep!

As one writer in King5.com’s Home & Garden section recently wrote: “It isn’t enough that the world should go green. It should go dark green. As in, ‘Turn off all the unnecessary lights, please.’” I like it!