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McLean students turned their attention to the night sky Jan. 15, bringing high school and middle school environmental groups together to examine how excessive outdoor lighting can disrupt wildlife, plant life and human sleep.

McLean’s Envirothon club and Longfellow Middle School’s Eco-Action team co-sponsored the Dark Skies Presentation and Astronomy Night. Guest speakers and information stands introduced community members to the effects of light pollution before students viewed the sky through a telescope.

Light pollution occurs when artificial outdoor lighting exceeds natural light levels. Junior Brooke Proman, vice president of the Envirothon club, said its effects extend beyond obscuring the stars.

“Light pollution not only harms wildlife by interrupting migration patterns and affecting nocturnal animals, it also has a huge impact on human health and has been linked to increases in breast cancers and other types of cancers,” Proman said.

Tom Blackburn, advocacy chair of the Northern Virginia Bird Alliance, said nighttime lighting can cause some plants to flower earlier, leaving them more vulnerable to frost and disturbing the broader ecosystem.

Birds also face serious consequences. Blackburn said about 80% of birds migrate at night, when bright lights can pull them away from their routes. Birds may circle illuminated areas until they exhaust themselves or collide with buildings after being drawn toward the light.

Artificial brightness can also interfere with birds’ normal sleep cycles, he said. Birds awakened too early may become stressed, lose weight and produce less healthy eggs, reducing their offspring’s chances of survival.

Speakers offered practical ways residents can reduce the problem, including pointing outdoor fixtures downward, removing unnecessary lights and using the lowest effective brightness.

“You can do an inventory of your home and find lights that are on too bright or are outside and are not shielded; maybe those lights are not needed at all,” Blackburn said.

They also recommended warm-colored lighting because cooler white lights can be more disruptive to the environment and may suppress melatonin when used before bedtime, making sleep more difficult.

The event connected the two student organizations while encouraging younger participants to continue their environmental work.

“We hope to be inspiring to the future generation,” Envirothon club secretary Samhita Som, a junior, said. “I know the Envirothon club will be in good hands.”