In some places on the globe, the number of stars visible to the naked eye at night can be halved in less than twenty years. This is the result of a recent study conducted in Germany on light pollution, which is an ever-increasing phenomenon.
An increase of approximately 10% annually
The phenomenon of light pollution is associated with The presence of artificial lighting at night As well as its effects on nature and human health in particular. for example, Study 2019 Explain how light pollution harms amphibiansas well as other animals such as moths and other insects, migratory birds, birds of prey, and nocturnal mammals.
This concept also includes Pollution of the night sky which this time concerned the disappearance of stars from the sky in urban areas during the night. However, this phenomenon is increasing, as indicated by a study conducted in the United States and Germany and published in the journal. Flag On January 19, 2023. According to researchers, the height of the night sky pollution is greater than what was actually measured in the past Thanks to satellite observations of the Earth during the night.
This time, scientists based their conclusions on Star observations during the period 2011-2022 by a panel of 51,000 “citizen scientists”. Changes in the number of stars reported by these volunteers determined his sky’s brightness at an average rate of 9.6% annually In the places of residence of observers.
Unnecessary lighting policies
The study notes that places where about 250 stars could be observed in 2011 are seeing that number drop to about 100 today. For the authors of these works, the Replaced several exterior lights So it doesn’t appear that light-emitting diodes (LEDs) have had a real positive effect on pollution of the night sky.
Moreover, the possibility that this deterioration was caused (in whole or in part) by these same new lights is not excluded. However, one thing is certain: lighting policies Decided by public authorities do not reduce light pollution.
The authors of the study also mentioned an aspect that had nothing to do with aesthetics. Actually, ” Before, when people went out at night, they were kind of facing the universe. You go outside, you see the stars, the Milky Way…and now it feels like an extraordinary event. It sure affects us […]no longer lives what was quasi-universal Christopher Kyba, lead author of the study and physicist at the GFZ Center in Potsdam (Germany) regrets.
