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Questions tagged [light-pollution]

Questions regarding undesired brightening of the night sky inhibiting observation of astronomical objects.

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2 votes
2 answers
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What is "class 4 light pollution" and could I estimate my own area's class visually?

This question currently asks I am living in the northern hemisphere in Greece and in class 4 area (light pollution scale).Is it possible to see the Andromeda galaxy with a naked eye? I'd never ...
uhoh's user avatar
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7 votes
2 answers
397 views

How will "modern equipment" allow the Royal Observatory to now avoid some of the effects of light pollution at Greenwich?

The article First Light: a new era for the Royal Observatory says (in part): 25 June 2018 The first modern, research-grade telescopes have just been installed at the Royal Observatory Greenwich, ...
uhoh's user avatar
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5 votes
1 answer
2k views

How high does light pollution reach into the sky?

I want to know how high does light pollution typically reach into the sky straight up? Has anyone ever researched this because I wonder if being at 10000ft elevation would reduce the amount of light ...
Ronny Core's user avatar
5 votes
1 answer
1k views

How can I make Stellarium match the magnitude of stars visible in London, UK?

Can someone recommend some Stellarium settings to mimic the amount of light pollution, and magnitude of stars that should be visible on a clear night in London, UK?
tomh's user avatar
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2 votes
0 answers
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Light Pollution: what is the difference between artificial brightness and brightness and SQM

At this light pollution map they show degrees of light pollution but they have 3 numbers to quantify light pollution and they do not explain in the help section what the numbers mean: The numbers are ...
bobsmith76's user avatar
21 votes
4 answers
8k views

Why is Starlink polluting the night sky a big concern if we have space telescopes?

There's a lot of concern in the Astronomy community over the deployment of Starlink satellites. For a good discussion, see the related question How will Starlink affect observational astronomy? But ...
JonathanReez's user avatar
20 votes
1 answer
600 views

I live in an area with a lot of light pollution, how can I view the stars without building an observatory?

I live in an urban area with a lot of light pollution and very little garden space. On a clear night I can see most of the sky and the brighter stars are visible. I can't build an observatory - I don'...
ChrisF's user avatar
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12 votes
2 answers
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Will Starlink deface the night sky?

There is some discussion (and there are some questions on this site) about the impact of Starlink on observational astronomy. I am not an astronomer, but I am amazed by the beauty an immensity of the ...
henning no longer feeds AI's user avatar
9 votes
2 answers
521 views

In what parts of the world is it impossible to view the night sky due to light pollution?

Growing up far from any city, I have always been able to view the full night sky. It was just the way how things were. Of course, I knew that light pollution is a thing, and that the sky is a lot less ...
SE - stop firing the good guys's user avatar
7 votes
3 answers
741 views

What range of exit pupils work for observing the full moon?

I'm observing the full moon, from a major city, with heavy light pollution and dust. The objective size is fixed, for this comparison, something between 4 and 6 inches. The question is about the ...
Kartick Vaddadi's user avatar
7 votes
0 answers
84 views

What effect do aircraft have on night-time visibility?

I have something of an interest in astronomy. I also have a 5" reflector telescope, plus of course binoculars. With the recent coronavirus emergency, a large number of commercial aircraft were ...
John Duffield's user avatar
7 votes
2 answers
790 views

My local night sky is so bright that I can only see the Moon, so would a low-cost telescope be any use?

Light pollution is so bad near our home that we can't see anything other the Moon in the night sky. For instance there is a street light on all night right in our lane and there are many other housing ...
user2617804's user avatar
5 votes
2 answers
2k views

Is it possible to view the Andromeda galaxy with the naked eye in Greece?

I am living in the northern hemisphere in Greece and in class 4 area (light pollution scale). Is it possible to see the Andromeda galaxy with a naked eye?
Jmk's user avatar
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1 vote
0 answers
78 views

How many streetlights should we turn off to decrease light on the ground by about 2.512 times?

I am looking for some guidance for a back-of-the-envelope-calculation to show that turning off street lights can make a difference for light pollution in the style of a Fermi problem. My first step is ...
B--rian's user avatar
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1 vote
1 answer
147 views

In an area with lots of light pollution, which clear sky clock parameter is most important?

I live on the periphery of a large light dome, looking towards the West. I get about 1/3 of the sky towards mountains that is darker. According to ClearDarkSky.com I live in an area with artificial to ...
WilliamKF's user avatar
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