Dark starry skies are a beautiful sight and a distinctive feature of the countryside – we are lucky in Devon to benefit from beautiful dark skies in much of the county. But with ever increasing development and ensuing light pollution, many people now can’t see the stars.
Please take part in CPRE’s Star Count – a cosmic census of our view of the stars. Get involved in counting the stars. It’s really easy to take part. And you don’t need a telescope or any equipment to take part. Just look up at the sky between 21-28 February 2020 and count how many stars you can see in the Orion constellation – find out more, how to take part and to submit your count at https://www.cpre.org.uk/starcount
Star Count is taking place with support from the British Astronomical Association.
The number of stars visible within the constellation of Orion is a good measurement of the amount of light pollution, and can be compared with previous year’s data to show how our ability to see truly starry skies is changing. We will also use the data to lobby local councils to make changes to reduce the impact of artificial light.
Please encourage as many people as possible to take part this year!