skyglow

/ˈskaɪˌɡloʊ/

Etymology

From sky + glow.

skyglow means the illumination of the sky above populated areas, mostly by street lighting. Lexicurio rates it Sui generis — a strength score of 87 out of 100.

skyglow is pronounced /ˈskaɪˌɡloʊ/.

Why “skyglow” is a great word

SKYGLOW — [Noun] The diffuse, domed luminescence of the night sky above human settlements, caused by the scattering of artificial outdoor light. From sky + glow. Unlike airglow (the faint, natural photochemical shimmer of the upper atmosphere) or light pollution (the broader category of obtrusive artificial light), skyglow is the specific, haunting residue of illumination cast upward. It is the sulfurous halo visible from miles down a darkened highway, the washed-out twilight that drowns the stars, and the perpetual false dusk that makes midnight look like ten p.m. We have built our own firmament, and it is a ceiling of wasted light.

noun

The illumination of the sky above populated areas, mostly by street lighting.