Have you ever wondered what the night sky would look like without city lights? Thanks to 16-year-old photographer David Lennon's "World Without Light Pollution," you don't have to wonder any longer. After gathering time-lapse film from the night sky in his home of Tasmania, Lennon overlaid the footage with city skylines from around the world to give us a glimpse of what life would be like without light pollution. The result? A video that juxtaposes the glaring, claustrophobic brightness of cities like New York, London, and Singapore with the tranquility of an open sky full of stars.

Urban life is a series of trade-offs: We give up personal space for crowds of people from around the world, the calm of the countryside for the excitement of city lights, and, of course, the natural jungle for the concrete one. Most of us quickly discover whether these trade-offs are worth it — as difficult as the adjustment period may be, plenty of people enjoy the hustle and bustle of living in a big city. That being said, Lennon's video is a reminder of just how much human activity has changed the planet, and not always for the better. Light pollution may seem harmless, if annoying, but as National Geographic points out, "Whenever human light spills into the natural world, some aspect of life — migration, reproduction, feeding — is affected."

Besides, it really is annoying. Let's take a look at Lennon's vision of what the night sky would look like over cities around the world:

New York, U.S.

London, U.K.

Doha, Qatar

As cool as the still images are, the skylines are even better in motion. Watch the video below, and for more of Lennon's work, check out his Instagram.

Images: David Oliver Lennon/YouTube (3)