| Keyword |
Description |
| Light pollution |
Excess artificial light that makes it hard to see stars at night |
| Environment |
All living and nonliving things around us |
| Milky way |
A bright band of millions of stars |
Mexico City used to be a place where you could see the stars clearly at night, but today that's nearly impossible. According to astronomer Omar López-Cruz, the main reason is light pollution: the huge amount of artificial light from billboards, buildings, and streetlights creates a bright sky that hides the stars. Even researchers have trouble doing astronomical studies here because the night never gets truly dark anymore.
This problem of light pollution doesn't just affect astronomers. The city’s excess light also impacts the environment and people’s health. For example, bird migrations are disturbed, the natural sleeping cycles of animals and humans are disrupted, and many residents have trouble getting a deep and restful sleep. This isn’t unique to Mexico City: many large cities worldwide have lost their starry skies for the same reason.
Recently, the government of Mexico City tried to address this issue by changing environmental laws. One new rule aims to reduce the amount of unnecessary outdoor lighting, especially in areas where it’s not needed. Lawmakers hope this can help restore some natural darkness to the city, protect local wildlife, and even lower energy waste. However, there haven’t been big changes or updates since the new law was passed.
López-Cruz says that many young people in Mexico City have never seen the Milky Way. To witness a true star-filled sky, people now need to travel far from the city, to remote places without artificial lights, such as some areas in the northern states of Mexico. Without real action to reduce light pollution, many city residents may never know what a truly dark sky looks like.
Bridging words
These words sound similar in English and Spanish: Why not practice them now?
| English |
Spanish |
| Astronomer |
Astrónomo |
| Bird migration |
Migración de aves |
| Unnecessary |
Innecesario |
Time to discuss
- What are the biggest sources of light pollution in your city?
- Should cities limit outdoor lighting to bring back the stars?
- How does not seeing the stars affect people’s connection to nature?
Let's write
Answer the following questions in one paragraph:
- Describe a time when you saw the night sky clearly — how did it make you feel?
- What can young people do to help reduce light pollution in their communities?
