For those of us who love to look up at the night sky and see how beautiful the universe is with all the bright little dots we call stars, what's happening over the years is desperate. the phenomenon skyglow is increasingly decreasing number of stars observed in the sky with the naked eye. Understand how this effect is caused.
The fading stars! know why
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Find out why we are seeing fewer stars in our sky every day, as well as why this could become a big problem in the future.
skyglow
This phenomenon is nothing more than light pollution emitted mainly by large cities. However, over the years, this pollution is growing more and more and this is causing the “loss” of stars. According to new research, this phenomenon, called skyglow, has robbed nearly a third of all humans of sight of our own galaxy.
The authors estimate that 80% of people in the US and 30% worldwide cannot observe the ethereal arc of the Milky Way on a clear night.
According to Christopher Kyba, lead author of this new study, part of the problem about what we can see with unaided eyes has to do with the types of lighting in use.
More light in the sky, less stars
“LED lights have a strong effect on our perception of how bright the sky is,” said Kyba. “This may be one of the reasons behind the discrepancy between satellite measurements and sky conditions reported by participants in the survey. globe at night.”
The more developed countries are the most affected, precisely because they have more large cities emitting a excessive amount of artificial light in the sky, and this problem is not just in our vision when we look at the sky. It mainly affects satellite observations and even nocturnal animals.
affected by light
In addition to the impacts on astronomy, there are other consequences, especially on other animals. According to the director of globe at night, Constance Walker, Skyglow is starting to affect daytime and nocturnal animals, and this could lead to future problems in how these animals hunt and survive.
She also draws attention to the fact that there is little interest in preserving the dark sky and that more studies are needed to report the consequences of this phenomenon.
“The increase in sky brightness over the past decade underscores the importance of redoubling our efforts and developing new strategies to protect dark skies,” says Walker.
