Just look up at the night sky and you will see 3,000 stars – except you can’t can you?  You don’t need a telescope or binoculars just your naked eyes, but you still can’t see 3,000 stars can you?

Unfortunately that’s because of one of the lesser known recent pollutants on this planet; Light Pollution.

If you are unlucky enough to live in a city, you probably can’t see many stars at all. Five of the twelve main constellations have become entirely invisible to you, and the remaining seven have stars ‘missing’ – too dim to see through the orange light smog.

You might catch the moon occasionally, and if you do you see a star nearby – that isn’t a star! It’s Venus, our closest neighbour, and the only planet bright enough to pierce a cities light pollution.

This is a problem mainly for Western Europe, most parts of the USA, and all cities throughout the world. Take a look at the above global view of light pollution:

Pollution in the UK is particularly bad with a proliferation of ’security’ lighting and badly designed street illumination that wastes energy lighting the sky above.  It’s estimated that 90% of the UK population is denied a view of our own galaxy – the Milky Way. Losing in a very real way a perception of our place in the universe.

As a child I remember gazing in awe at the thousands of stars, and I’m not the only one with fond memories of dark skies;

“I remember as a very small child being completely blown away by looking up into the night sky and wondering what it was all about……..I think particularly kids have a right to see the night sky. We all do, but it certainly pains me to think there are people growing up in this country who may never even see the Milky Way unless they go somewhere else.” Queen guitarist Brian May.

Unfortunately the only way you can now see 3,000 stars with the naked eye is to be at sea, in mountains, or desert. Basically you would need to be far away from population centres. Wherever humans gather, light pollution destroys the night sky.

John McNally