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Star Count 2022

A young man, woman and a dog sit side by side in a dark garden and look upwards
All family members welcome! Raise your eyes to the skies with CPRE Kerry Harrison / CPRE

Star Count 2022 has finished now, and we’re crunching the numbers to find out what your week of stargazing can teach us about light pollution.

What is Star Count?

We think that dark and starry skies are a special part of our countryside. Nothing beats looking upwards to see velvety blackness, with twinkling constellations as far as the eye can see.

Our buildings and roads emit light, though, and this can affect our view of truly dark skies. We want to make sure that we can all enjoy starlit nights, and we need your help in measuring what effect light is having on our views of the galaxy.

The best way to see how many stars we can all see in the sky is… to count them! We asked people from all across the country to become ‘citizen scientists’ and look heavenwards for one night.

What happens next?

Star Count week is over for 2022, and now our experts are analysing the data to see what we can learn. We’ll be sharing results soon so do look out for them.

Your results from Star Count will help us make a map of where star-spotters are enjoying deep, dark skies. By showing on a map where light pollution is most serious, we can work with local councils and others to decide what to do about it.

Got the stargazing bug? You can also read about the surprising results of our 2021 Star Count, our beginner’s guide to stargazing and our list of the top dark sky spots in England.

Camping under a starry night sky

Our work on dark skies

Starry skies are one of the most magical sights the countryside can offer. Light pollution not only limits our views of these skies, but also disrupts wildlife’s natural patterns. Learn more about our work to reclaim our dark skies.

CPRE's dark skies work

Treat your child to our storybook about stargazing

Our ‘Gem and I’ story for primary-age children makes for a magical bedtime read to inspire little ones with the wonder of the night sky.

A payment of at least £5 today covers the cost of the book and postage, and all profits support CPRE’s work to promote, enhance and protect the countryside – from soil to sky.

Buy the book now for a starry family read and to help us keep working for deep, dark skies.