Look to the stars!
We discover why the night sky needs our help and how we can get involved in a special star-gazing event
Twinkle twinkle little star, how I wonder what you are… it’s a nursery rhyme many of us grew up with, or sing to the grandchildren.
Now the CPRE, the countryside charity formerly known as the Campaign to Protect Rural England, is encouraging more of us to wonder again at the stars above to help protect the views of celestial wonders both now and for future generations.
The Star Count is an annual project run by CPRE. It asks people to count the number of stars around the well-known Orion constellation on one clear night between February 21-28 and submit their findings to the charity.
The idea is to promote a love for stargazing, but also use information recorded to highlight the increasing problems of light pollution that spoils the views for many of us, particularly in urban areas.
Caused by the increasing number of lights left on during the hours of darkness, including streetlights, business building lights and sports field floodlighting, light pollution creates a glow which makes it harder for us to see the stars. Latest research shows just 22 per cent of England is now covered by a truly dark sky where you can clearly see the heavens, when less than 100 years ago everyone could look up and see a starry night sky. Emma Marrington,a dark skies campaigner for CPRE, says the Star Count can help make people aware of the situation where they live. “If you live in an area with truly dark skies you should be able to see around 30 stars in the Orion constellation,” says Emma. “So if you’re seeing a lot less than that – and in some urban areas you’re now likely to see fewer than ten – you know your area is badly affected by light pollution.”
There are 9,096 stars visible across the entire sky from Earth in the northern and southern hemispheres
Herefordshire is England’s darkest county overall, while West and South Yorkshire are the brightest
As the Star Count creates an up-to-date map of where light pollution is at its worst, CPRE can use this information to make recommendations to the government, local authorities, the Highways Agency and others to make changes to either reduce light pollution or help preserve areas of darkness.
“This can include recommending local authorities use dimming schemes for streetlights to, for example, light the town centre at 100 per cent on the weekend, but on a residential street in the middle of the night, turn the brightness down,” says Emma. “It’s about using lighting as and when it’s necessary.”
Meanwhile, any member ofthe public can use the information gathered from the Star Count as evidence to lobby their own council to make changes, ask for light pollution to be considered when new housing developments are being planned or ask neighbours to consider changing over-bright security lighting.
After all, light pollution doesn’t just impact our view of the stars.
“Excessive artificial light also disrupts wildlife, affecting migration, feeding patterns, mating and other natural cycles,” says Emma. The population of moths, for example, is threatened by increasing light use at night, as one third of insects drawn to a light bulb die by morning. Even our sleep can be affected as artificial light at night disrupts our body’s production of the hormonemelatonin that brings about sleepiness.”
Another major worry, though, is that future generations may lose all connection to the stars. “Many children are now growing up having never seen our own galaxy, the Milky Way, because of the amount of light blocking the view,” says Emma.
“The night sky offers such tranquillity and a connection to nature,” she says. “Generations before us have also looked up at these stars and even navigated by the constellations, so we can’t lose that part of our natural heritage.”
■ To join the Star Count 2020 sign up at www.cpre.org.uk/ starcount or call 0207 9812800