Star Count Survey Results

[Jkulin]

Living in a light polluted area prompted me to participate in the National Star Count of Orion during the winter, the results are now in with an excellent map, you can even zoom in and see your own vote: -

https://luc.maps.arcgis.com/apps/webappviewer/index.html?id=278f31553dcc4111bd7b884612b5d8ec

More on Sky news: - https://news.sky.com/story/more-than-half-of-people-in-england-cant-see-starry-skies-survey-says-11695814

I'm at a loss after speaking to my local council, they have no plans to act on the light pollution unless it is intrusive! The definition of intrusive and mine are a world apart.

[John]

These results are worrying from an astronomy point of view.

As well as my own submission from my back yard, several of us did a simultaneous count from our observatory site and got quite different numbers despite establishing common "rules" beforehand. I think visual acuity varies quite a bit person to person as well.

 

[Mark at Beaufort]

Well I have just looked at the map and noted that I recorded 24 on the edge of Hereford. I then saw that someone (not that far from me) on a really dark site on the Welsh/Herefordshire border counted 8. John your statement about visual acuity is very relevant.

[Jkulin]

20 minutes ago, John said:

These results are worrying from an astronomy point of view.

As well as my own submission from my back yard, several of us did a simultaneous count from our observatory site and got quite different numbers despite establishing common "rules" beforehand. I think visual acuity varies quite a bit person to person as well.

 

Indeed I think you are correct John, I am nearly 60 and know that my own night time vision is nothing like it used to be when i was younger, so I think the survey needs to balance into peoples ability to react to light, but how that could be incorporated I have no idea.

[SteveNickolls]

Hmm, they have averaged the readings that my son and I made on the same evening, 8 for me and 16 for him and an average of 13. Age and acuity are very important to consider.

Cheers,
Steve

[JamesF]

Visual acuity, experience, and perhaps even "just knowing" where the stars are must make a big difference.  It would be interesting if they also asked for peoples' ages when the figures were submitted and made some attempt to rescale the numbers based on that.

On the other hand, if the majority of the respondents were perhaps old codgers whose vision isn't quite what it used to be (and I may be in that group :) , who's complaining about the problem looking worse than it actually is :D

James

[devdusty]

I  think these results are fairly accurate and not dependent on age. I have lived in Exeter for over 25 years and still only see 7 stars in Orion.

Chris P

[JamesF]

Just now, devdusty said:

I  think these results are fairly accurate and not dependent on age. I have lived in Exeter for over 25 years and still only see 7 stars in Orion.

Chris P

That's perhaps more suggestive that Exeter is sufficiently light-polluted that no-one can see any more than seven stars in Orion :)

James