Where did all the stars go?

When was the last time that you viewed a star-studded night sky?

If you live in an urban area, the chances are you haven't seen one for a long time.

A starry night sky has become almost an endangered species in the developed world.

A starry night is becoming like an endangered species here and elsewhere in the developed world, with neon signs, street lights, giant ad screens and decorations on office towers lighting up the night sky.

“Light pollution is, perhaps, the fastest-growing pollution these days. What makes it more serious is that not many realize that,” said Lim Jong-min, chief researcher at the Korea Institute for Lighting Technology.

The Korean Herald

Not only is light pollution preventing people from star watching, it is bad for our health, prevents pollution being naturally destroyed and disorients and causes the deaths of wildlife.

In Western countries, the dark-sky movement emerged in the 1980s as concerned people campaigned to reduce the amount of light pollution. The non-profit International Dark-Sky Association is one related advocate.

Other then for the loss of stars from view, light pollution or excess artificial lighting at night-time are concerns on many fronts: energy wastage, health and effects on wildlife.

Studies have shown that it affects the body’s circadian rhythms, disrupts sleep and increases stress. It also has a far-reaching impact on wildlife. Bright lights from cities disorient migratory birds, which depend on stars to navigate, causing millions annually to meet their deaths against the lit-up windows of buildings.

A recent U.S. study found that bright city lights exacerbate air pollution by interfering with nightly cleansing chemical reactions.

The Korean Herald

The article goes on to make the point that children are unlikely to know what the milky way is, because they are simply unlikely to have ever seen it above the glare of light pollution.

That is not a step forward.

I'm lucky enough to live in Australia. The sky is amazing every night there is no cloud cover. I guess I'm lucky. I can't imagine not being able to see the stars. Last time I went to the UK it felt really odd.....no stars.....at all Ha!

reply to post by ollncasino
What would you have us do? We to turn out all the lights and go live in the dark?

Brother, you can't change time to go backwards. If we live in 2012 we have to live with what we have. Travel out to the country and the stars will mean even more and look more beautiful.

Originally posted by CaptainBeno
I'm lucky enough to live in Australia. The sky is amazing every night there is no cloud cover. I guess I'm lucky. I can't imagine not being able to see the stars. Last time I went to the UK it felt really odd.....no stars.....at all

Ha!

So do I but unfortunately I live next to quite a busy and lit up area, so I don't see many stars.

I remember the first time I saw the real night sky, I went camping in the mountains as a kid, it was amazing. The universe fascinates me more than anything, and seeing that picture makes me sad, if I could see a sky like that I would be outside all night.

Take a break, head OUT of the city.

The stars are still there. I see them every night and in fact tonight it's a bonus as we have a red moon in Western Canada. And it's surrounded by the stars.

Peace

reply to post by ollncasino

When was the last time that you viewed a star-studded night sky?

Living in the Pacific NW U.S., it's difficult at times.

This Summer has been exceptional, though.

There is nothing more relaxing and thought provoking than looking up at the stars.

Meteor showers, satellite tracking and ISS transits are cool too

reply to post by ollncasino


slayer has a bunch of them ask him

Man, I can't imagine how the night sky would have looked hundreds of thousands of years ago. When there was no electricity and no cities and no pollution.

Must have been a stargazer's fantasy.

I love to star gaze. I keep track of planets and constellations on a regular basis. It is fascinating. I do notice that the stars are not so bright in the city but that just gives more reason to get out of town and enjoy nature.

reply to post by DocHolidaze


They aren't nearly as pretty.

Originally posted by ollncasino
The article goes on to make the point that children are unlikely to know what the milky way is, because they are simply unlikely to have ever seen it above the glare of light pollution.

That is not a step forward.

That last statement is ridiculous. You can always go outside of the city area and see all the stars you want.

Protip: do it at night.

I live out in the country here. Nearest city is 15 miles away, and I can see the faint glow of light pollution in that direction.

But the rest of the sky tends to be lit up like the OP's picture here. Quite beautiful

reply to post by DuppyKillah


Many buildings, parks, and urban areas have wasteful lighting, with strong lights shining directly into the sky. You could voice your concerns to the local administration about this. That are associations that work on this and promote the dark skies. en.wikipedia.org...

Originally posted by gigaherc

Originally posted by ollncasino
The article goes on to make the point that children are unlikely to know what the milky way is, because they are simply unlikely to have ever seen it above the glare of light pollution.

That is not a step forward.

That last statement is ridiculous. You can always go outside of the city area and see all the stars you want.

Protip: do it at night.

Of course, all children have access to transport, money, educated parents and whatever else it may take to escape city life......I think your statement is more ridiculous
The statement above yours certainly has merit, I feel sorry for children today because of that fact.
The city masses have more to worry about in life than seeing stars

Originally posted by CaptainBeno
I'm lucky enough to live in Australia. The sky is amazing every night there is no cloud cover. I guess I'm lucky. I can't imagine not being able to see the stars. Last time I went to the UK it felt really odd.....no stars.....at all

Ha!

So do I, but I live in Melbourne..we never have impressive starry nights. The best I can so in my slates is go down to the bay and look as far towards Tasmania (opposite direction of the city) as you can.

Outside the urban areas though we do get some fantastic starry night skies!

Yes, it's pretty bad. When I have the cash, I'm hoping to go to a certain part of the world (a stable part!) where I can lie back and view many, many stars (there are many places in the US where the sky is clear and where you can stand on a mountain or near a canyon).

reply to post by CaptainBeno


Yep, sometimes I have to squint and even then I can only see only the brightest of stars. They are clearer in other areas, like certain places in the North of England than the south.

I feel you OP. Been intending to buy a laser for months now, just to switch the street lights off near me so I can do some star-gazing, and at the same time annoy our local council.

Did you know there are thousands of folk with the same complaint? There are petitions you can sign online too. I remember one of the mottos for one such campaign started with a child asking his parents - "what are stars?"
Funny thing is, they say we need street lights at night to make our lives a lot safer, but the police would tell you that house-breakers and other criminals find street lights very handy for their work.



e-petition stargazing

The British Astronomical Association's Campaign for Dark Skies

reply to post by gigaherc


There are actually only one or two places in the uk where the night sky has no light pollution. Simply going into the countryside at night isn't good enough.

To solve some of the problem just for a start, would be to make it a rule to have a guard or shield on every street light so that the light only falls on the place where it was intended to, i.e. the ground. I've read that some councils are willing to do this if enough people have complained.
I've considered using a ladder and a black bin bag.