It is possible that you have ever noticed that in cities, especially if there are large ones, you hardly see stars and, on the other hand, in the countryside, the mountains or on some beaches they can be seen much better and, in certain areas, in large quantity. It can seem strange and can make us wonder what difference there is between one place and another to be able to see the sky. The truth is that there is a very simple explanation and that is that humans pollute in large quantities and cities are where there are more humans together.
If you want to know more details and know the exact cause of why in cities do not see starsWhat kind of pollution causes this effect, keep reading this Green Ecologist article in which we give you all the answers.
The phenomenon that makes it possible to see stars in rural areas or fields and not see very few in cities is excess concentrated light. In other words, in cities there is a much higher concentration of people than in rural areas, so there are Light pollution or an amount of light so high that it disturbs the normal functioning of the environment, such as the sky being clear to be able to see the stars, among other consequences much more serious than it may seem at first.
Thus, in the countryside, the mountains, the beach, the sea or any other area that is not overpopulated and, therefore, is still generally a very natural area, you can see the stars perfectly to the point of being able to reach to see the Milky Way. This makes these areas of the world ideal for going to observe stars with a telescope or even for professional observatories to be installed, so that even the shapes of the stars, distances, planets, etc. can be observed. On the other hand, in cities seeing the stars well is something difficult, although not impossible, depending on the degree of light pollution from the city.
To further explain what light pollution is, we can say that this is the scattering of excess light that comes from artificial sources of illumination. This excessive light scattering through the atmosphere causes a artificial glow in the sky that it can be there all day, but that when it is at night it is even more enhanced by the contrast. This light or light pollution does not allow that which is beyond a certain distance upwards cannot be seen, including clouds, airplanes, stars, and so on.
In addition, when it is really excessive, the night sky can look like the sunrise even if it is not in that position, that is, in very yellow, orange and even reddish tones. Also, if the lighting is with lights of colder tones, the sky can become pale yellow or whitish when the level of contamination is high.
These happen in large cities and in areas where a misuse of artificial light or the lighting, which in many cases is used excessively in a totally unnecessary way. This not only results in light pollution and visual pollution, but also is a great waste of energy due to excessive consumption of light.
In this other Green Ecologist article we tell you in detail about Light Pollution: definition, causes and consequences.
As we have been seeing, the pollution produced by excess luminosity has negative effects, such as not allowing the celestial bodies to be seen in the night sky, for example not being able to see the stars, as well as an excessive expenditure of energy. However, the consequences are many more.
Therefore, we detail the main consequences of light pollution that does not let the stars see in the cities.
For the moment, the only solution to being able to see the stars is to go to areas with little or no light pollution, that is to say go to the field to see them or to the outskirts. Or, if you want see the stars in the cities You have to find a place that is not excessively lit, wait until a clear day at night and at a time when most of the business lights and streetlights are not yet on.
On the other hand, like solutions for light pollution we can propose:
In this other Green Ecologist article we show you more about Solutions for light pollution.
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