Steps to Address Light Pollution to be Considered by Mass. Legislature

Tim Brothers and other dark sky experts say the changes will help human, animal, and environmental health.

A new Massachusetts bill, that will soon be decided on by the state legislature, proposes changes that will combat light pollution and promote dark-sky visibility. “The actual brightness of the night sky nationally is rising 2.2 percent a year,” Tim Brothers told Boston.com. Brothers is vice president of the Massachusetts chapter of the International Dark Sky Association, in addition to manager of MIT’s Wallace Astrophysical Observatory and an EAPS instructor. He's been working to fight light pollution in the state for a while, which has been a growing issue over the years, particularly around Wallace Observatory, where light interferes with their science. He hopes that this new legislature will not only help preserve the natural night and help them view the sky, but also help with ecosystem and biological disruptions which are caused by blue-rich lights.