The new world atlas of artificial night sky brightness

TLDR

Artificial lights increase night sky luminance, producing visible skyglow, yet despite growing scientific interest, there is no global quantification of light pollution. The study aims to provide a global atlas of artificial sky luminance. The atlas is computed with light pollution propagation software using high‑resolution satellite data and precise sky brightness measurements. The atlas reveals that over 80 % of the world, and more than 99 % of U.S.

Abstract

Artificial lights raise night sky luminance, creating the most visible effect of light pollution-artificial skyglow. Despite the increasing interest among scientists in fields such as ecology, astronomy, health care, and land-use planning, light pollution lacks a current quantification of its magnitude on a global scale. To overcome this, we present the world atlas of artificial sky luminance, computed with our light pollution propagation software using new high-resolution satellite data and new precision sky brightness measurements. This atlas shows that more than 80% of the world and more than 99% of the U.S. and European populations live under light-polluted skies. The Milky Way is hidden from more than one-third of humanity, including 60% of Europeans and nearly 80% of North Americans. Moreover, 23% of the world's land surfaces between 75{\deg}N and 60{\deg}S, 88% of Europe, and almost half of the United States experience light-polluted nights.