Stargazing Without Light Pollution: How Many Stars Can You See?

Light pollution is a form of pollution caused by humans that affects more than 80% of the world's population. It is caused by artificial light from streetlights, security lights and lit-up buildings, which contribute to a massive dome of purple-grey haze that washes out all but a few of the brightest stars. The further away you get from city centres, the more of the night sky you can see.

The Milky Way and Zodiacal Light are among the first to go

Light pollution is a problem for stargazers, with more than 80% of the world's population and about 99% of Americans and Europeans living under a sky glow. This means that only a handful of the brightest stars are visible to the naked eye. The Milky Way and Zodiacal Light are among the first to go when light pollution increases. This is because they are diffuse objects, which are easily suppressed by even moderate light pollution. However, the brightest few hundred stars are resistant to light pollution, meaning that the outlines of most constellations can still be made out in suburban skies. Naked-eye planets are even brighter and can be seen without trouble from the brightest city centres.

Despite the prevalence of light pollution, there are still ways to see more stars. Firstly, the further away you get from city centres, the more of the night sky you can see. This is because streetlights, security lights and lit-up buildings contribute to a massive dome of purple-grey haze that washes out the stars. You can also use tools like Stellarium to automatically estimate your sky quality using a database of measured light pollution values.

Light pollution isn't going away soon, but neither are the stars. So set your expectations and learn to appreciate the night sky wherever you are!

The unaided human eye can see celestial objects of apparent magnitude up to +6.0

Light pollution can make it difficult to see the stars, with more than 80% of the world's population and about 99% of Americans and Europeans living under a sky glow. However, the unaided human eye can see celestial objects of apparent magnitude up to +6.0 under dark skies. Light pollution can dim the relative brightness of an object in the night sky, making it harder to see.

The Milky Way, nebulae, planets, and stars are all examples of celestial objects that can be seen without the aid of a telescope or binoculars. However, light pollution can make it difficult to see these objects, as the relative brightness of an object from Earth dims down. Florida Atlantic University notes that due to light pollution, we cannot see many objects that are available to us naturally.

Diffuse objects, such as the Milky Way and the Zodiacal Light, are easily suppressed by even moderate light pollution. However, the brightest few hundred stars are resistant to light pollution, making the outlines of most constellations accessible even in suburban skies. Naked-eye planets are typically brighter and can be seen without trouble from the brightest city centres.

No matter how much artificial light there is in the sky, a few dozen bright stars will always stand out. It is still possible to see many fainter stars from urban areas. So, while light pollution can obscure our view of the night sky, it is still possible to appreciate the beauty of the stars, even in less-than-ideal conditions.

Light pollution is caused by humans

Light pollution is a form of pollution caused by humans. It is caused by artificial light, such as streetlights, security lights and lit-up buildings, which contribute to a massive dome of purple-grey haze that washes out all but a few of the brightest stars. The light bulb is one of the most important inventions of humankind, but it has also led to light pollution.

Light pollution affects what we can see in the night sky. The unaided human eye can see celestial objects of apparent magnitude up to +6.0 under dark skies, but with light pollution, the relative brightness of an object from Earth in the night sky dims down to as much as +3.0. This means that due to light pollution, we cannot see many objects like nebulae, planets and stars or the Milky Way itself.

However, the brightest few hundred stars are resistant to light pollution, making the outlines of most constellations accessible in suburban skies. No matter how awash the sky becomes with artificial light, at least a few dozen bright stars will always stand out, and you may be surprised by just how many fainter ones can be found from urban sites.

The farther away you get from city centres, the more of the night sky you can see.

The farther away you get from city centres, the more of the night sky you can see

Light pollution is a problem for stargazers, with more than 80% of the world's population and about 99% of Americans and Europeans living under a sky glow. This means that most people can only see a handful of stars at night. The unaided human eye can see celestial objects of apparent magnitude up to +6.0 under dark skies, but with light pollution, the relative brightness of an object from Earth in the night sky dims down to as much as +3.0. This means that many objects like nebulae, planets, and stars or the Milky Way itself are not visible to most people.

However, the farther away you get from city centres, the more of the night sky you can see. Light pollution is caused by streetlights, security lights, and lit-up buildings, which contribute to a massive dome of purple-grey haze that washes out all but a few bright stars. In areas with less light pollution, you can see hundreds or even thousands of stars, with millions more casting their unearthly glow through the gas and dust clouds of our Milky Way galaxy.

Even in areas with moderate light pollution, the brightest few hundred stars are resistant, making the outlines of most constellations accessible in suburban skies. However, fainter constellations are more challenging to see. The naked-eye planets are typically brighter and can be seen without trouble from the brightest city centres.

So, if you want to see more of the night sky, it's best to get away from city centres and light pollution. Set your expectations and learn to appreciate the night sky wherever you are!

The brightest few hundred stars are resistant to light pollution

Light pollution affects the number of stars that can be seen in the night sky. The unaided human eye can see celestial objects of apparent magnitude up to +6.0 under dark skies, but with light pollution, the relative brightness of an object from Earth in the night sky dims down to as much as +3.0.

However, the brightest few hundred stars are resistant to light pollution. This means that the outlines of most constellations can be seen in suburban skies, although fainter constellations are more challenging to make out.

Even in light-polluted skies, at least a few dozen bright stars will always stand out. You may be surprised by how many fainter ones can be seen from urban sites. The farther away you get from city centres, the more of the night sky you can see.

The naked-eye planets are typically brighter still, and can be seen without trouble from the brightest city centres.

Frequently asked questions