A survey conducted by rural campaigners and astronomers has found no real improvement in the amount of wasted light being pumped into Britain’s skies. Findings show more than half the population still experience severe light pollution.

The results of the Campaign to Protect Rural England (CPRE) and Campaign for Dark Skies (CfDS) annual Star Count Survey show that just over half (53 per cent) of the people taking part could see 10 stars or fewer within the constellation of Orion - indicating severe light pollution in their area [1].

Almost one thousand location reports revealed that only one in ten (9 per cent) participants could see between 21 and 30 stars and just two per cent of people had truly dark skies, seeing 31 or more stars.

The full star count maps for 2011 and 2007 can be downloaded here: 2012, 2011 and 2007.

The proportion of people taking part in the survey who live with severe light pollution was down from 54 per cent in 2007 to 53 per cent this year. The results suggest that, despite good initiatives to reduce light pollution in some places, the contamination of Britain’s night skies continues largely unchecked.

Emma Marrington, CPRE Rural Policy Campaigner, says: “When we saturate the night sky with unnecessary light, it damages the character of the countryside and blurs the distinction between town and country. But this isn’t just about a spectacular view of the stars; light pollution can also disrupt wildlife and affect people’s sleeping patterns.” 

Bob Mizon, Campaign for Dark Skies Coordinator, says: “Light pollution is a disaster for anyone trying to study the stars. It’s like a veil of light is being drawn across the night sky, denying many people the beauty of a truly starry night. Many children growing up today will never see the Milky Way; never see the unimaginable glory of billions of visible stars shining above them.” 

In 2010 Councils collectively spent £529 million on street lighting which accounted for around 5-10 per cent of each council’s carbon emissions [2][3]. 

CPRE has welcomed the inclusion in the new planning reforms (National Planning Policy Framework) that  local councils be encouraged to plan to reduce light pollution, by encouraging good design, planning policies and decisions to control lighting. With such national guidance in place, and with a number of councils now providing good ‘best practice’ examples of how to limit light pollution, more local authorities can  now take action to limit the impact from artificial light on urban and rural communities , intrinsically dark landscapes and the natural environment.

Emma Marrington concluded:  “All too often we hear poor excuses for bad or excessive lighting. Of course we need the right, well-designed lighting in the right places – and some areas need to be lit for safety reasons – but there should not be a blanket assumption that glaring lights are needed. The evidence gathered during this year’s Star Count Week shows that we need to take action now to roll back the spread of light pollution.”

The full star count maps for 2011 and 2007 can be downloaded here: 2012, 2011 and 2007.

End

Notes to Editors
[1] CPRE and CfDS Star Count Survey carried out by 981 volunteers between 20 - 27 January and 20-26 February 2012. The second week of observations was added due to poor weather conditions preventing observations in many areas in the first week.

Participants were instructed to pick a clear night, with no haze or clouds, to count the number of stars in the constellation of Orion bounded by the four distinctive bright stars in the constellation. The star count did not include these four corner stars – only those within this rectangular boundary – but did include the stars in the middle known as Orion's three-star belt. Full data tables are available on request.

Number of stars counted within the constellation of Orion   
Year    0 > 5    6 > 10    11 > 15    16 > 20    21 > 25    26 > 30    31 > 40   
2007    14%    40%    24%    12%    6%    2%    2%    100%
2011    16%    43%    22%    11%    5%    2%    1%    100%
2012    14%    39%    23%    13%    6%    3%    2%    100%

[2] Department of Communities and Local Government, Local authority revenue expenditure and financing England 2010-11 final outturn, 17 November 2011
[3] Energy Saving Trust, www.energysavingtrust.org.uk, 09 April 2010

Rural campaigners and astronomers are giving amateur star-gazers a second chance to help them map light pollution after poor weather conditions prevented some people from making the necessary observation to contribute to 2012’s national Star Count Week.

The Campaign to Protect Rural England (CPRE) and the British Astronomical Association’s Campaign for Dark Skies (CfDS) have organised a second week for people to take part in the 2012 Star Count survey, to make up for poor weather conditions in January. The ‘Second Chance Star Count’ will run from Monday 20 to Sunday 26 February.

Star gazers are asked to count the number of stars they can see within the constellation of Orion. The results will help create a 2012 Star Count map, illustrating how light pollution is affecting the view of the night sky across the UK.

Emma Marrington, Rural Policy Campaigner at CPRE, says: “We’ve already had almost a thousand people make a contribution to our Star Count Week, but we know many people tried to make a count and couldn’t. The winter skies are the best time to see the constellation of Orion which we use as the base for our Star Count Week but unfortunately, it’s also the time when rain, snow and cloudy days are most frequent. We hope that a second week will give everyone a chance to take part.   

“Light pollution may not seem to be the most serious environmental issue, but it has a range of significant impacts. It damages the character of the countryside, blurs the distinction between town and country, and denies people the experience of a dark, starry sky. Light pollution can disrupt wildlife and badly affect people’s sleeping patterns.”

Information gathered during the 2011 Star Count week last January showed that the proportion of people taking part in the survey who are living with severe light pollution increased from 54 per cent in 2007 to a new high of 59 per cent. Only eight per cent of participants could see more then 20 stars and just one per cent of people had truly dark skies, seeing 30 or more stars.

Bob Mizon, Campaign for Dark Skies Coordinator, says: “The Star Count survey will help us measure the extent of light pollution.  We want to use this evidence to convince Ministers and local councils of the need to take action to tackle it, for example by ensuring that the correct lighting is used only where it is needed and when it is needed. This would cut light pollution, reduce carbon emissions and save money at the same time.”

Recently, more local authorities have been seeking ways to deliver their services more efficiently, and there is also growing awareness of the impact of poorly designed street-lighting. Switch off or dimming schemes for lighting, in consultation with the police and local people to ensure that there are not adverse impacts on safety, can be effective. Redesign of lighting to ensure it is better targeted on where it needs to be also saves energy, money and our long-term view of the night sky.

It is simple and easy to take part in the Star Count Week and people can sign up for an email reminder to take part. Full instructions are available on the CPRE website www.cpre.org.uk/starcount.

Ends

How to take part in the Second Chance Star Count:
Participants can choose any night between Monday 20 February and Sunday 26 February but the sky must be clear, with no haze or clouds, so there is the best chance of seeing stars. It is recommended that observations are made after 7pm so the sky is sufficiently dark.

Organisers are asking people to count stars within the constellation of Orion in the south western night sky. The main area of the constellation is bounded by four bright stars. The star count should not include these four corner stars – only those within this rectangular boundary – but do include the stars in the middle known as Orion's three-star belt. (A diagram is available at www.cpre.org.uk/starcount)

People should make a count of the number of stars seen with the naked eye (not with telescopes or binoculars) and then simply complete the online survey form: https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/starcount-2012 or send their count, the time and date it was made, and the location to our address: Star Count, Campaign for Dark Skies, 38 The Vineries, Colehill, Wimborne, BH21 2PX.

Further details of the Star Count Week and instructions on how to take part can be found at: http://www.cpre.org.uk/what-we-do/countryside/dark-skies/update/item/2666-star-count-2012

Rural campaigners and astronomers are looking to recruit amateur star-gazers to help them map light pollution during their national Star Count Week starting on Friday 20 January.

The Campaign to Protect Rural England (CPRE) and the British Astronomical Association’s Campaign for Dark Skies (CfDS) are asking people to take part in the 2012 Star Count Week between Friday 20 January and Friday 27 January.

Star gazers are asked to count the number of stars they can see within the constellation of Orion. The results will help create a 2012 Star Count map, illustrating how light pollution is affecting the view of the night sky across the UK.

Emma Marrington, Rural Policy Campaigner at CPRE, says: “Light pollution may not seem to be the most serious environmental issue, but it has a range of significant impacts. It damages the character of the countryside, blurs the distinction between town and country, and denies people the experience of a dark, starry sky. Light pollution can disrupt wildlife and badly affect people’s sleeping patterns.”

Information gathered during the 2011 Star Count week last January showed that the proportion of people taking part in the survey who are living with severe light pollution increased from 54 per cent in 2007 to a new high of 59 per cent. Only eight per cent of participants could see more then 20 stars and just one per cent of people had truly dark skies, seeing 30 or more stars.

Bob Mizon, Campaign for Dark Skies Coordinator, says: “The Star Count survey will help us measure the extent of light pollution.  We want to use this evidence to convince Ministers and local councils of the need to take action to tackle it, for example by ensuring that the correct lighting is used only where it is needed and when it is needed. This would cut light pollution, reduce carbon emissions and save money at the same time.”

Recently, more local authorities have been seeking ways to deliver their services more efficiently, and there is also growing awareness of the impact of poorly designed street-lighting. Switch off or dimming schemes for lighting, in consultation with the police and local people to ensure that there are not adverse impacts on safety, can be effective. Redesign of lighting to ensure it is better targeted on where it needs to be also saves energy, money and our long-term view of the night sky.

It is simple and easy to take part in Star Count Week 2012 and people can sign up for an email reminder to take part. Full instructions are available on the CPRE website www.cpre.org.uk/starcount.

Ends

How to take part in Star Count Week 2012:
Participants can choose any night between Friday 20 January and Friday 27 January but the sky must be clear, with no haze or clouds, so there is the best chance of seeing stars. It is recommended that observations are made after 7pm so the sky is sufficiently dark.

Organisers are asking people to count stars within the constellation of Orion in the south western night sky. The main area of the constellation is bounded by four bright stars. The star count should not include these four corner stars – only those within this rectangular boundary – but do include the stars in the middle known as Orion's three-star belt. (A diagram is available at www.cpre.org.uk/starcount)

People should make a count of the number of stars seen with the naked eye (not with telescopes or binoculars) and then simply complete the online survey form: https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/starcount-2012 or send their count, the time and date it was made, and the location to our address: Star Count, Campaign for Dark Skies, 38 The Vineries, Colehill, Wimborne, BH21 2PX.

Further details of the Star Count Week and instructions on how to take part can be found at: http://www.cpre.org.uk/what-we-do/countryside/dark-skies/update/item/2666-star-count-2012

Earlier this year, as part of the Star Count week organised by the Campaign to Protect Rural England (CPRE) and Campaign for Dark Skies (CfDS), over 2,000 people across the country went outside to see how many stars they could count in the constellation of Orion. For most, the answer was not very many [1].

The results published today (Wednesday) show that three in five (59 per cent) people taking part could see just 10 or fewer stars within Orion - indicating severe light pollution in their area. Only eight per cent of participants could see more then 20 stars and just one per cent of people had truly dark skies, seeing 30 or more stars.

The proportion of people living with severe light pollution was up from 54 per cent in 2007 to 59 per cent this year. The results suggest that, despite good initiatives to reduce light pollution in some places [2], the contamination of Britain’s night skies continues largely unabated.

Bob Mizon, Campaign for Dark Skies Coordinator, says: “The findings of this year’s survey are very worrying. It’s like a veil of light is being drawn across the night sky, denying many people the beauty of a truly starry night. Many children growing up today will never see the Milky Way; never see the unimaginable glory of billions of visible stars shining above them.” 

Emma Marrington, CPRE Rural Policy Campaigner, says: “Light pollution damages the character of the countryside and blurs the distinction between town and country. But this isn’t just about the effect on stargazing; light pollution can disrupt wildlife and badly affect people’s sleeping patterns.” 

Campaigners are calling for better planning regulations to restrict unnecessary lighting, as well as asking for those responsible for outdoor lighting to make sure they are using the right lighting in the right place. Not only would that help to prevent light pollution, it would save money and cut carbon emissions. In 2009 Councils collectively spent £532 million on street lighting which accounted for around 5-10 per cent of each council’s carbon emissions [3][4]. 

The Natural Environment White Paper, to be published by the Government next month should also include firm proposals for tackling light pollution, which would both improve the quality of our countryside and people’s enjoyment of it.

Emma Marrington concluded: “This is a problem that can be resolved if Government and local authorities introduce policies to control lighting and individuals take action to use lighting wisely.

“All too often we hear poor excuses for bad or excessive lighting, from crime prevention to health and safety but in many cases these are not backed by hard evidence and are nothing more than a flimsy excuse for poor planning or environmental indifference. The evidence gathered during this year’s Star Count Week shows that we need to take action now to stop the growing spread of light pollution.”

The full star count maps for 2011 and 2007 can be downloaded here: 2011, 2007

End

Notes to Editors
[1] CPRE and CfDS Star Count Survey carried out by 2188 volunteers between 31 January 2011 and 06 February 2011. Participants were instructed to pick a clear night, with no haze or clouds, to count the number of stars in the constellation of Orion bounded by the four distinctive bright stars in the constellation. The star count did not include these four corner stars – only those within this rectangular boundary – but did include the stars in the middle known as Orion's three-star belt. Full data table are available on request.

Number of stars counted within the constellation of Orion     
Year    0 > 5    6 > 10    11 > 15    16 > 20    21 > 25    26 > 30    31 > 40     
2007    14%    40%    24%    12%    6%    2%    2%    100%
2011    16%    43%    22%    11%    5%    2%    1%    100%

CPRE and CfDS hope to make the Star Count Week an annual event that will engage thousands of people in the campaign against light pollution. The 2011 event, which took place from 31 January to 6 February, was backed by a host of celebrities including BBC astronomer Mark Thompson, former Blur bassist Alex James and CPRE President Bill Bryson.

[2] Many councils are implementing street light switch off/dimming trials. For example:

- Nottingham City Council is embarking on a 25 year PFI project to replace circa 27,000 Lighting columns, 10,000 Lanterns and 6,000 illuminated signs, bollards and beacons. The aim of the initiative is to save money, energy and reduce light spillage.
- Coventry City Council is proposing to replace 28,000 of its 32,000 street lights over the next five years. Dimmer switch technology will be fitted to thousands of replacement street lights in Coventry to help save energy and money. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/coventry_warwickshire/8519721.stm

- Surrey County Council is running a similar initiative to replace the 89,000 street lights in the county. Lights will be linked to a central system which will allow different lighting levels across Surrey. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/surrey/8546835.stm

- Norfolk County Council is about to begin a street light switch-off trial in many areas between midnight and 5am. The primary reasons are energy and cost saving but it will have an impact on levels of light pollution. http://www.edp24.co.uk/news/politics/norfolk_street_light_switch_off_gathers_pace_1_77165

[3] Department of Communities and Local Government, Local Authority Revenue Expenditure and Financing England 2009-10 Budget (Revised), 22 December 2009
[4] Energy Saving Trust, www.energysavingtrust.org.uk, 09 April 2010

The Campaign to Protect Rural England (CPRE) fights for a better future for the English countryside. We work locally and nationally to protect, shape and enhance a beautiful, thriving countryside for everyone to value and enjoy. Our 57,000 members are united in their love for England’s landscapes and rural communities, and stand up for the countryside, so it can continue to sustain, enchant and inspire future generations. Founded in 1926, President: Bill Bryson, Patron: Her Majesty The Queen. www.cpre.org.uk

The Campaign for Dark Skies (CfDS) is run by The British Astronomical Association which is Britain’s largest astronomical organisation, with thousands of members nation-wide. Its Campaign for Dark Skies was founded in 1989, and aims to ensure quality lighting in the UK. A well-lit environment below and a view of the starry sky above are not incompatible.

The Campaign to Protect Rural England (CPRE) and the British Astronomical Association’s Campaign for Dark Skies (CfDS) are calling for ‘citizen scientists’ to take part in Star Count Week. Between Monday 31 January and Sunday 6 February 2011 star gazers will be asked to count the number of stars they can see within the constellation of Orion. The results will help create a Star Count map, illustrating how light pollution is affecting the view of the night sky across the UK.

Emma Marrington, Rural Policy Campaigner at CPRE, says: “Light pollution damages the character of the countryside, blurs the distinction between town and country, and denies people the experience of a dark, starry sky. But this isn’t just about the effect on star gazing or countryside. Light pollution can disrupt wildlife and badly affect people’s sleeping patterns.

“The Star Count survey will help us measure the extent of light pollution.  We want to use this evidence to convince Ministers and local councils of the need to take action to tackle it, for example by ensuring that the correct lighting is used only where it is needed and when it is needed. This would cut light pollution, reduce carbon emissions and save money at the same time. Some local authorities are already taking action to tackle light pollution in their areas; we need more to do the same.”

In recent years, light pollution has been a growing problem, with more and more of the UK left without a clear view of the night sky. Earlier this year a CPRE/CfDS survey found eight out of ten people (83 per cent) had their view of the night sky affected by light pollution [1]. Councils spend a collective £532 million on street lighting each year [2] and the lights can account for around 5-10 per cent of a council’s carbon emissions [3].

Bob Mizon, Campaign for Dark Skies Coordinator, says: “The light from distant stars and galaxies takes hundreds, thousands, even millions of years to reach our eyes. What a tragedy to lose it on the last millisecond of its journey!”

In 2006/07 nearly 2,000 people took part in the CPRE/CfDS Star Count Week. In that year, only two per cent of respondents said they could see more than 30 stars in Orion, compared with 54 per cent who saw fewer than 10 – a level which indicates severe light pollution. The results from the next Star Count Week will allow researchers to see whether light pollution is continuing to get worse or if there has been an improvement.

It is simple and easy to take part in Star Count Week 2011. Full instructions are available on the CPRE website.

Ends

How to take part in Star Count Week 2011:
Participants can choose any night between Monday 31 January and Sunday 6 February but the sky must be clear, with no haze or clouds, so there is the best chance of seeing stars. It is recommended that observations are made after 7pm so the sky is sufficiently dark.

Organisers are asking people to count stars within the constellation of Orion in the western night sky. The main area of the constellation is bounded by four bright stars. The star count should not include these four corner stars – only those within this rectangular boundary – but do include the stars in the middle known as Orion's three-star belt.

People should make a count of the number of stars seen with the naked eye (not with telescopes or binoculars) and then simply complete the online survey form or send their count, the time and date it was made, and the location to our address: Star Count, Campaign for Dark Skies, 38 The Vineries, Colehill, Wimborne, BH21 2PX.

Further details of the Star Count Week and instructions on how to take part can be found on the CPRE website.

Notes to Editors
1. Survey carried out using survey monkey between 11 December 2009 and 21 February 2010. The total number of respondents was 1745, although the average number of respondents to any given question was 1027. Participants were sourced by voluntary referral and no subsequent demographic balancing has taken place. The full CPRE report on this survey and light pollution can be found at www.cpre.org.uk
2. Department of Communities and Local Government, Local Authority Revenue Expenditure and Financing England 2009-10 Budget (Revised), 22 December 2009
3. Energy Saving Trust, www.energysavingtrust.org.uk, 09 April 2010

• CPRE, the Campaign to Protect Rural England, is a charity which promotes the beauty, tranquillity and diversity of rural England. We advocate positive solutions for the long-term future of the countryside. Founded in 1926, we have 60,000 supporters and a branch in every county. President: Bill Bryson. Patron: Her Majesty The Queen. www.cpre.org.uk
• The British Astronomical Association is Britain’s largest astronomical organisation, with thousands of members nation-wide. Its Campaign for Dark Skies was founded in 1989, and aims to ensure quality lighting in the UK. A well-lit environment below and a view of the starry sky above are not incompatible.