Environment
The Colorado Towns That Turned Up the Stars
It wasn’t easy to banish streetlights and signs. “Frontier people don’t like being told what to do.”
As humanity sprawls ever outward, we’re killing off the night. Light pollution from street lights, digital billboards, and 24/7 commerce is turning the once-inky firmament into a paler shade of slate: 80 percent of Americans now live in places where the Milky Way is virtually invisible. That’s not only sad for the spirit, it’s bad for your health—the American Medical Association has issued warning after warning about the sleep-disrupting effects of light pollution and certain types of bulbs.