Look up to the sky on a cloudless night and count the stars. You’ll get there without a problem… if you see any. Residents of large urban centers will probably only see visible planets and, perhaps, a handful of very bright stars like Sirius, Canopus, or the Triple System of Alpha Centauri.
The phenomenon is quite easy to observe. Move away from your hometown a bit, until you are in a place that you think is dark. There, direct your glance towards the city in question and you will see the luminous halo which it releases, even more visible when a cloudy layer reflects it. This light will interfere with the familiar twinkling of the stars and partially obscure them. Indeed, the brighter the sky, the more difficult it is to distinguish the light coming from the stars, especially the less bright ones. So as light pollution increases, many of them simply become invisible to the naked eye. This represents a large proportion in large urban areas.
The Milky Way ? For a large part of the world’s population, this remains a concept: a 2016 study already warned that a third of humanity was deprived of it, and that 99% of Europe had a sky polluted by artificial light which reduces , often drastically, the perception of the night sky. Since then, the dependent elements have accumulated and the acceleration of the equipment
This article is for subscribers only. Take advantage of our special offers without obligation.
WHERE
Google Exclusive: 6.99€/month
By choosing this promotional subscription path, you accept the deposit of an analysis cookie by Google.
