British starry night victim of light pollution

This is a video from the USA about light pollution.

From British daily The Independent:

Light pollution rubs out stars

By Amanda Brown

Published: 12 March 2007

Light pollution is making the wonder of a star-filled sky increasingly rare, campaigners say.

A study was held by the Campaign to Protect Rural England and the British Astronomical Association in which participants counted the stars they could see within the constellation of Orion.

In a dark sky, about 50 stars might be visible.

Nearly 2,000 people took part in the star count.

Only 2 per cent of participants said they could see more than 30 stars, and 54 per cent saw fewer than 10 stars in Orion.

Not surprisingly, the fewest stars tended to be seen in the more built-up areas.

Many people in rural areas were surprised at how few stars they saw.

Light pollution can spread deep into the countryside, with the two main causes of this pollution being poorly directed security floodlighting and sky glow from distant towns.

Several people mourned the loss of views of the Milky Way.

Most people in Britain can no longer see it in the skies around their home.

Emma Warrington, of the CPRE, said the study “is a great way to show Government how badly we need the long-awaited planning policy on controlling light pollution”.

This Awesome Video Shows How Different The Night Sky Looks Without Light Pollution: here.

Astronomers name Scottish park one of world’s best stargazing sites. Galloway Forest park awarded ‘dark skies’ status and praised for accessibility to public: here.

Pollution is endangering the future of astronomy: here.

LIGHT POLLUTION ROBBING US OF NIGHT SKIES Roughly one-third of the world, including 80% of North Americans, are unable to see this bright band of stars that makes up the outer rim of our galaxy. Without light pollution, about 2,500 stars should be visible to us at night, but in most suburbs, only a few hundred can be spotted. Here’s why that matters. [HuffPost]

Night light pollution affect songbirds’ mating life, research suggests: here.

Nocturnal animals can use the stars and the Milky Way to find their way during the darkest hours. While animal navigation is studied all over the world, some of the leading researchers are based at Lund University in Sweden. In a recent article they sum up the research so far and give their thoughts on challenges to come: here.