Want to enjoy our beautiful night sky? Your chances of seeing it are improving as CPRE’s 2022 Star Count found that star gazers are enjoying their best views of the night sky since our annual Star Count began in 2011.
The results, from the thousands of counts sent to us, suggest severe light pollution is continuing to fall since its 2020 peak.
We suspect that working from home – and, sadly, current concerns over soaring energy bills appear to have produced a ‘lockdown legacy’ – resulting in a clearer view of the stars.
The good news is that we can all help continue that legacy by turning off garden lights when not in use, and encouraging local councils and businesses to dim street lights and reduce office lighting left on overnight. Not only does that reduce carbon emissions and cut energy bills but it improves the natural environment for wildlife and us humans.
About Star Count
More than 2,500 of you took part in our annual Star Count, the country’s biggest citizen science project of its kind, between 26 February and 6 March this year. We asked you to report the number of stars you could see in the Orion constellation – the one with the three stars in a line.
What we found
The results suggest the great news that severe light pollution, defined as being able to see 10 or fewer stars with the naked eye, has continued to fall. After peaking in 2020, when 61% of participants reported seeing 10 stars or fewer, severe light pollution fell to 51% in 2021 and continued its slide this year, to 49%.
Emma Marrington, CPRE’s dark skies campaigner, commented: “Half of the people who took part in Star Count experienced severe light pollution that obscures their view of the night sky. This is bad for wildlife and human health – and the energy being needlessly wasted is bad financially and bad for our planet.
But the good news is that these results show small adaptations can make a big difference. If there is a silver lining from the legacy of lockdown and, now, the soaring cost of energy, it is that it has never been clearer how simple it is to cut carbon emissions and energy bills while improving our natural environment.”
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Posted On: 17/05/2022