Citizen scientists report global rapid reductions in the visibility of stars from 2011 to 2022

• DOI: 10.1126/science.abq7781
• Publication Date: 2023-01-19T18:58:17Z
• Authors: Christopher C. M....; Yiğit Öner Altıntaş; Constance E. Walker; Mark Newhouse
• Keywords: Visibility; Light Pollution; Night sky; Sky brightness; Visible spectrum

The artificial glow of the night sky is a form light pollution; its global change over time not well known. Developments in lighting technology complicate any measurement because changes practice and emission spectra. We investigated brightness from 2011 to 2022 using 51,351 citizen scientist observations naked-eye stellar visibility. number visible stars decreased by an amount that can be explained increase 7 10% per year human band. This faster than emissions indicated satellite observations. ascribe this difference spectral average angle emissions.