A NASA-funded study from the University of Connecticut, which examined more than 1.1 million satellite images, found artificial light at night increased by around 16 per cent globally between 2014 and 2022.Researchers say some regions are continuing to grow brighter while others have temporarily dimmed due to factors such as COVID-19 disruptions, changes in lighting policy and broader economic shifts.Marnie Ogg, founder and director of the Australasian Dark Sky Alliance, a not-for-profit charity dedicated to reducing light pollution, says the scale of change to the natural light is often underestimated."We've had 3.8 billion years of natural day, night cycles that were predictable and then [around] 150 years ago we introduced the electric light, and that's completely changed — is completely changing the nighttime environment," she tells SBS News."Things like LED billboards are probably one of our biggest threats When I'm hearing that both my totems are getting destroyed."He also runs cultural heritage workshops at schools, where he says light pollution rarely features in the science curriculum.In one exercise, Lane asks students to draw constellations before a white sheet is placed over their work, simulating the way artificial light obscures the sky.He says many children leave the lesson pledging to ask their parents to install warmer LED lights or switch off excessive outdoor lighting.For Lane, the hope is that future generations can experience a sky full of stars, whether from their bedroom window in outback Australia or a major city."I do believe that one day, when I'm an Elder ..