Star Count 2023
Star Count 2023 results are in and you can find out more here. It was great to see nearly 4,000 of you taking part – but only one in 20 of you had a clear view of our starry skies in all their wonder.
Star Count may be over for another year, but if you haven’t yet purchased your copy of our children’s book, Gem and I, there’s still time!
The story follows Gem as she discovers the wonder of the night sky. It’s a magical bedtime read to inspire all young stargazers and learn about the importance of dark skies. All profits go towards CPRE’s work to promote, enhance and protect the countryside we all love, now and for future generations to come.
Get your copyWhat is Star Count?
We think that dark and starry skies are a special part of enjoying 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, and cause problems for wildlife. 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.
Every year, around February, we ask people from all across the country to become ‘citizen scientists’ and look heavenwards for one night. You don’t need any special equipment – it’s all done with the naked eye. It’s great for kids too, in fact we’ve even created a Star Count activity pack for kids aged five and up, which you can download here.
Over the years, many thousands of you have submitted your counts, which our experts then analyse and compare with previous years. We then publish our findings on the website, and email those who took part.
Your results from Star Count 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.
Explore the 2023 Star Count map
Together, we can work towards rewilding our skies for the benefit of people and wildlife.
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 rewild our skies. Find out about our work on dark skies.
Donate today
Star Count is free to take part. However, our work to protect, promote and enhance the countryside couldn’t happen without the help of generous supporters, like you. Please donate today to help keep our countryside thriving from soil to sky, for the benefit of us all.
Donate nowExplainers
Dive deeper into the topics we care about with our handy explainer guides.