Can't See the Stars Like You Used to in the Night Sky? Accuse Skyglow

Our vision of the stars is being obscured by a phenomena known as "skyglow," and the impact is far more pronounced when seen with the naked eye.

By Eric Mack

January 20, 2023 12:45 PM PT

                                      According to new study published on Thursday, light pollution has deprived eight out of ten Americans and roughly a third of all people of the ability to see our own galaxy. Skyglow, or the cumulative, diffuse brightening of the clear sky caused by artificial light sources, is the issue.

A recent research, which appeared in the journal Science, made use of crowdsourced information from the Globe at Night initiative, which is managed by the network of observatories NOIRLab, which is supported by the National Science Foundation. When contrasted to satellite measurements of the artificial light on Earth, it is discovered that skyglow as seen by human eyes poses a greater issue.

The study is the most recent publication in a growing corpus of research on light pollution that dates back at least fifty years.

The researchers discovered a rise in sky brightness of 9.6% over the past ten years by examining over 50,000 observations from citizen scientists, as opposed to merely 2% each year seen by satellites.

According to the study's principal author Christopher Kyba, a researcher at the German Research Centre for Geosciences, "At this rate of change, a kid born in a place where 250 stars were visible would be able to see just around 100 by the time they reached 18."

Nearly one-fifth of the major telescope's twilight shots are obstructed by satellite streaks of light.

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● According to the authors, 30% of people globally and 80% of Americans aren't able to view the Milky Way on a clear night.

● The types of illumination present contribute to the issue with what our unassisted eyes can perceive.

"LED lights have a significant impact on how brilliant the sky seems to us," claimed Kyba. The mismatch between satellite measurements and the sky conditions reported by Globe at Night participants may be due to this, among other things.

Additionally, it is challenging for satellites to identify light that is projected horizontally from sources that are more common in cities, such as billboards or stores.

According to Kyba, "the rate at which stars become invisible to individuals in metropolitan areas is tremendous."

North America and Europe have seen the most significant increases in skyglow.

The director of Globe at Night and co-author Constance Walker believes there are additional effects in addition to the apparent ones on astronomy and skywatching.

Skyglow harms both nocturnal and diurnal species and also obliterates a significant portion of our cultural legacy, according to Walker. The rise in skyglow over the past ten years emphasises the necessity of stepping up our efforts and coming up with fresh plans to preserve the night sky.

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