Goodbye, Moon. We don't need you anymore.

再见，月亮，我们再也不需要你了！

The Earth's night skies are getting brighter. A study published in the journal Science Advances, finds the Earth's artificially lit outdoor areas grew by 2.2 percent per year from 2012 to 2016.

地球的夜空正在变得更加明亮。发表在《Science Advance》期刊上的一项研究发现，地球上人造光源覆盖的户外区域在，在2012年到2016年间增长了2.2%。

Light pollution is actually worse than that, according to the researchers.

据研究人员表示，光污染实际比其他污染更严重。

The measurements used in the study come from an imaging sensor¹ on a polar-orbiting weather satellite that can't detect the color blue generated by the new and increasingly popular LED lights, which means some light is missed by the sensor.

在该项研究当中用到的测量值，是来自极地轨道气象卫星的成像传感器，但是它探测不到由新生并日渐增多的LED光源产生的蓝光，这就意味着一些光线被该传感器漏掉了。

Overall, 79 countries, mostly in Asia, South America and Africa, experienced a growth in nighttime brightness.

在这些年中，全球总共有79个国家--其中大部分位于亚洲、南美洲和非洲--的夜间光源数量呈增长趋势。

Sixteen countries, including areas of conflict such as Syria and Yemen, witnessed a decrease, and 39 countries, including the U.S., stayed the same.

而有16个国家，其中包括了如叙利亚和也门在内的冲突地区，这一数字有所下降。包括美国在内的39个国家的这一数字则保持不变。

"Artificial light is an environmental pollutant² that threatens nocturnal animals and affects plants and microorganisms," the study said.

该研究指出：“人造光是一种环境污染，会威胁夜间活动的动物，并影响到植物以及微生物。”

Light pollution has been known to have adverse³ effects on all living creatures. People's sleep can be marred⁴, in turn affecting their health.

众所周知，光污染会对所有生物有不利影响。人们的睡眠会被破坏，进而影响他们的健康。

The migration⁵ and reproduction of birds, fish, amphibians⁶, insects and bats can be disrupted, and plants can have abnormally extended growing periods.

鸟类、鱼类、两栖动物、昆虫类及蝙蝠的迁居和繁衍会被扰乱，而植物则会遭遇异常地生长期延长。

Co-author of the study, Franz Holker of the Leibniz Institute of Freshwater Ecology and Inland Fisheries in Berlin, said things are at the critical point.

该项研究的合著者、来自柏林莱布尼兹淡水和内陆渔业研究院的弗兰兹·霍尔克表示，现在正处于事态的关键时期。

"Many people are using light at night without really thinking about the cost," Holker said. "Not just the economic cost, but also the cost that you have to pay from an ecological⁷, environmental perspective."

霍尔克称：“许多人在晚上使用光，而没有意识到真正的费用。不只是经济费用，还有你不得不支付的关于生态的、环境的前景的费用。”