The visibility of stars in the night sky is rapidly decreasing – study
A research team from the Ruhr University analyzed more than 50,000 naked-eye observations of stars from 2011 to 2022 as part of the scientific project "The Globe at Night", during which it turned out that people around the world see fewer and fewer stars in the night sky. This is due to an increase in the brightness of the sky by 7-10% per year, according to the results of the study published by the journal Science.
On a significant part of the Earth, the sky continues to glow with twilight after sunset. This phenomenon is a form of light pollution, which is caused by the expansion of cities and an increase in the number of lighting devices used around the world. In Europe, the level of sky brightness increase is 6.5% per year, and in North America it is 10.4% per year.
At the same time, the brightness level of the sky increases not only in the cities themselves, but also where there is no artificial lighting.
"If the increase in brightness continues at this rate, then a child born in a place where 250 stars are visible will be able to see only 100 stars there on his 18th birthday," said Christopher Kiba, head of the research group.
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