Why are stars disappearing from the sky?

Have you ever noticed the number of stars that you can see with your naked eyes in the sky has reduced significantly over the last decade? New research shows that it’s actually due to the increasinglight pollutionworldwide. Light pollution is a phenomenon where the sky glows at night due to artificial lighting. BBC reported that a group of amateur astronomers and citizen scientists spent the last 12 years studying the sky to reach this conclusion. The amount of light that humans emit in the sky has constantly increased by 10% every year, as per the researchers. Dr Christopher Kyba, a scientist from the German Research Centre for Geosciences in Potsdam, was quoted by the BBC as saying, "Our view of the stars is disappearing".

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LED lighting revolution contributing to light pollution

The European Space Agency in a study last year revealed that the LED lighting revolution throughout the world exacerbated the light pollution problem. The cheaper and better the lightning, the more it is wasted. Decorative lights, advertisement boards, street lights and lights on high-rise buildings have made our sky brighter and the light problem worse.

Light pollution: A big threat to humans

Light pollution doesn’t just spoil the mesmerising view of the moon and stars, it also gravely impacts the sleeping behaviour of humans. Excessive lighting is linked to disrupted sleeping patterns and bad health, not just in humans but animals also. One study even linked excessive lighting to the local insect decline.

Light pollution reveals massive wastage of energy

Experts say that sky glow and sky brightness show how a tremendous amount of energy is being wasted every day, without people and governments even acknowledging this massive loss. Dr Kyba says, “There's a lot of room for improvement - if you light more carefully, you should be able to reduce skyglow, whilst still lighting the ground.”

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