Darkest Nights Are Getting Lighter

Light pollution now doubles every eight years globally as LED adoption accelerates artificial brightness worldwide. A recent study measured 10% annual growth in light pollution from 2011 to 2022. Northern Chile’s Atacama Desert remains one of the few Bortle Scale 1 locations — the darkest rating for astronomical observation — though La Serena’s population has nearly doubled in 25 years. The region hosts major observatories including the Vera C. Rubin Observatory at Cerro…