The number of visible stars is declining as night skies brighten
In short: A study using reports from citizen scientists found that the number of stars visible to the naked eye has decreased globally between 2011 and 2022. The researchers determined that this decline corresponds to a steady increase in sky brightness of roughly 7% to 10% annually within the human visible spectrum.
This finding is significant because it highlights how rapidly light pollution is affecting our view of the cosmos, even as lighting technologies evolve. The study suggests that while satellite data shows slower changes in total emissions, the actual brightness we perceive is increasing faster due to shifts in the types of light emitted and the angles at which they are directed.
The research relied on a large collection of observations provided by citizen scientists rather than traditional professional monitoring. A limitation of this approach is that it relies on human perception and subjective reporting of stellar visibility.
Why it matters: Humanity is losing its view of the stars at a rate faster than satellite data might suggest.
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Sources
- Source: Research: Kyba et al. (2023). Citizen scientists report global rapid reductions in the visibility of stars from 2011 to 2022. Science. · other-oa
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