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Light pollution may lead to us only seeing half of the stars currently visible

Author
Newstalk ZB,
Publish Date
Sun, 29 Jan 2023, 1:33pm
 Photo / File
Photo / File

Light pollution may lead to us only seeing half of the stars currently visible

Author
Newstalk ZB,
Publish Date
Sun, 29 Jan 2023, 1:33pm

New research states that you may need to take your children out on a clear night to get a look at the stars- while you still can.

A report from the journal Science states that if light pollution levels continue at the current rate, today’s children will see only half of the stars currently visible when they become adults. 

Scientists measured light pollution using satellites, but the way our eyes pick up light from Earth is very different and the actual rate of change of star visibility is higher than anticipated.

Dr Michelle Dickinson says this means that light pollution levels are way worse than predicted, and the sky gets brighter by 9.6 percent, as opposed to the original prediction of 2 percent.

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