--- title: Even without that giant ‘X’, there’s still a lot of light pollution - The Hustle description: Billboard and brands are overtaking the night sky with flashy lights. image: https://hs-sbup.thehustle.co/hubfs/The%20Hustle%20News/Assets/Images/1218946738-httpsthdaily.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.comfinal_size-lightpollution_20230731220428.webp --- # Even without that giant ‘X’, there’s still a lot of light pollution ![Juliet Bennett Rylah](https://53.fs1.hubspotusercontent-na1.net/hubfs/53/assets/hubspot.com/web-team/WBZ/HubSpot%20Media/Blog%202021/Images/Nav/Optimized/TheHustle_Icon_Dark.svg) [Juliet Bennett Rylah](https://hs-sbup.thehustle.co/author/juliet-bennett-rylah) [Juliet Bennett Rylah Twitter profile ](https://twitter.com/JBRylah) Published: August 01, 2023 Updated: October 11, 2023 Imagine you’re chilling in your apartment at night, trying to watch a movie, when the fire of a thousand suns comes streaming through your window. ![satellite map of light pollution](https://hs-sbup.thehustle.co/hs-fs/hubfs/The%20Hustle%20News/Assets/Images/1218946738-httpsthdaily.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.comfinal_size-lightpollution_20230731220428.webp?width=595&height=400&name=1218946738-httpsthdaily.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.comfinal_size-lightpollution_20230731220428.webp) That’s apparently [what happened](https://www.ktvu.com/news/x-formerly-twitter-installed-a-lit-up-sign-atop-its-hq-not-everyone-is-thrilled) to one San Francisco man when X — formerly Twitter — put a strobing “X” sign on its HQ last week. (TBF, the man said he didn’t know how to describe the brightness, so we went with the sun thing on his behalf.) A city inspector, who was denied access to the building, was told it was a temporary sign “for an event,” [per](https://www.npr.org/2023/07/31/1191055173/twitter-x-sign-san-francisco-investigation-musk) *NPR*. By Monday — and 24 complaints later — it had been [taken down](http://xn--by%20monday%20%20and%2024%20complaints%20later%20%20it%20had%20been%20taken%20down-b016c9a.%20a%20city%20official%20said%20the%20property%20owner%20would%20be%20assessed%20for%20fees%20for%20permitting%20and%20inspection%20costs./). A city official said the property owner would be assessed for fees for permitting and inspection costs. #### **Light pollution** … is [defined](https://education.nationalgeographic.org/resource/light-pollution/) as the the excessive or inappropriate brightening of the night sky and [includes](https://darksky.org/what-we-do/advancing-responsible-outdoor-lighting/): - Glare (brightness that causes discomfort) - Skyglow (brightening over uninhabited areas) - Light trespass (light where it isn’t needed) - Clutter (confusing groupings of light) It disrupts human sleep patterns and confuses animals, [causing](https://darksky.org/resources/what-is-light-pollution/effects/wildlife-ecosystems/) sea turtle hatchlings to wander into cities instead of the sea or birds to migrate at the wrong time. #### **It’s also gotten worse over the years…** … thanks to controversial [digital billboards](https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2013/01/31/fights-digital-signs-billboards/1880121/) and other modern tech. Astronomers — who hate light pollution because it makes seeing constellations difficult — [voiced concerns](https://www.businessinsider.com/astronomers-concerned-over-drone-light-show-above-manhattan-skies-2022-11?amp) (and doubted the necessity) of a 500-drone light show in NYC celebrating “Candy Crush.” **BTW: **Space billboards are apparently a potential thing. They’d appear as pixelated images in the sky, potentially earning companies up to ~$5m annually per billboard, [per](https://www.businessinsider.com/billboards-in-space-are-fast-approaching-a-new-study-says-2022-10)* Insider*. And guess who wants to launch space ad satellites? The same dude who put that “X” up in San Francisco. Topics: [Twitter](https://hs-sbup.thehustle.co/tag/twitter) ## Follow us on social media prev next - ![Can you name someone with a harder job than Linda Yaccarino? We can’t](https://hs-sbup.thehustle.co/hubfs/The%20Hustle%20News/Assets/Images/19829585-httpsthdaily.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.comfinal_size-yaccarino_20230724220332.webp) ### Can you name someone with a harder job than Linda Yaccarino? We can’t - ![We tried Threads, Meta’s Twitter competitor](https://hs-sbup.thehustle.co/hubfs/The%20Hustle%20News/Assets/Images/1037422333-httpsthdaily.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.comfinal_size-threads-meta_20230706225014.webp) ### We tried Threads, Meta’s Twitter competitor - ![Is this exactly what Elon Musk wanted?](https://hs-sbup.thehustle.co/hubfs/The%20Hustle%20News/Assets/Images/1349857922-HS-News-Brief_2022-12-19T003446.776Z.webp) ### Is this exactly what Elon Musk wanted? - ![One fake Tweet may have cost Twitter a lot](https://hs-sbup.thehustle.co/hubfs/The%20Hustle%20News/Assets/Images/1854753406-HS-News-Brief_2022-11-15T004910.531Z.webp) ### One fake Tweet may have cost Twitter a lot - ![What’s happening with Twitter?](https://hs-sbup.thehustle.co/hubfs/The%20Hustle%20News/Assets/Images/523835087-HS-News-Brief_2022-11-01T010009.526Z.webp) ### What’s happening with Twitter? 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