David Owen has a fascinating and informative piece in the current New Yorker on our lost night skies. The article, alas, isn’t online but this is from the abstract:
“Diminishing the level of nighttime lighting can actually increase visibility. The key to visibility is contrast. Much so-called security lighting is designed with little thought for how eyes of criminals operate. A burglar who is forced to use a flashlight, or whose movement triggers a security light is much more likely to be spotted.”