To be out by night in a forest, by a river, on a moor, in a field, or even in a city garden, is to know it differently. Colour seems almost absent, and you are obliged to judge distance and appearance by shade and tone: night sight requires an attentiveness and a care of address undemanded by sunlight.
Star-gazing gives us access to orders of events, and scales of time and space, which are beyond our capacity to imagine: it is unsurprising that dreams of humility and reverence have been directed towards the moon and stars for as long as human culture has recorded itself.
We are, as a species, finding it increasingly hard to imagine that we are part of something which is larger than our own capacity. We have come to accept a heresy of aloofness, a humanist belief in human difference, and we suppress wherever possible the checks and balances on us – the reminders that the world is greater than us or that we are contained within it.
The blinding of the stars is only one aspect of this retreat from the real.

MacFarlane, Robert. The Wild Places. New York, NY: Penguin Books, 2007. Pages 202 – 203.

We are losing our night sky. We are losing something that has been part of every culture for millennia. But this loss does not just affect us culturally, it can also affect our biology as well as the biology of other inhabitants of this planet. This is a loss that can easily be corrected. As much as humans need the light, they also need the dark.

Since 1879 when Thomas Edison invented the incandescent light bulb, the world has become awash in artificial light. Many environmentalists, naturalists, and medical researchers consider light pollution to be one of the fastest growing and most pervasive forms of environmental pollution. And a growing body of scientific research suggests that light pollution can have lasting adverse effects on both human and wildlife health. The increased amount of artificial light affects human circadian rhythms and neuroendocrine physiology. 1

Most birds migrate at night using the stars and the Earth’s magnetic field for navigation. Artificial lights and skyglow interfere with this process causing birds to collide with communication towers, buildings or strike a window. A confused bird expends excess energy by vocalizing and flying aimlessly which can lead to other threats within the urban environment for an exhausted 1.5-ounce Wood Thrush or other migrant bird.

Lights Out is a national effort to reduce this problem by working with building owners, managers, and residents to turn off unnecessary lights during periods when the lights are most likely to affect migrating or nocturnal birds.

The National Park Service (NPS) recognizes a naturally dark night sky as more than a scenic canvas; it is part of a complex ecosystem that supports both natural and cultural resources. The NPS strives to preserve dark sky viewsheds for the enjoyment of park visitors, and the well-being of wildlife and habitat. Many visitors to national parks report "never seeing night skies this remarkable".

Any bit helps:

Turn off exterior decorative lighting.
Substitute task and area lighting or pull window coverings especially on higher stories of buildings.
Shield exterior lighting downward to eliminate horizontal glare and all light directed upward.
Install automatic motion sensors and controls whenever possible.
Assess quality and quantity of light needed when converting to new lighting.
Use existing local zoning regulations to set appropriate outdoor lighting usage.

A number of cities in the United States and other countries are designated Dark Sky Communities by the International Dark Sky Association, showing “exceptional dedication to the preservation of the night sky” by discouraging wasteful lighting practices. 2

Light pollution is a relatively easy environmental problem to resolve. Solutions are immediate, effective, and often save money. Protecting night skies for ourselves and future generations only takes a bit of knowledge and effort in choosing night sky friendly outdoor lighting.

Chepesiuk R. Missing the dark: health effects of light pollution. Environ Health Perspect. 2009 Jan;117(1):A20-7. doi: 10.1289/ehp.117-a20. PMID: 19165374; PMCID: PMC2627884.
Plait, P. Light pollution is dimming our view of the sky and it’s getting worse. Scientific American Volume 328, Issue 6. Jun 2023.

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