Stars Are Obscured By Artificial Light In Our Nighttime Skies, Study Shows

In a phenomenon scientists call “light pollution,” most people on the planet cannot see a vibrant view of the stars.

Light pollution refers to the over- abundance of artificial city lights that brighten our skies at night. Much of the artificial light comes from traffic, buildings and street lights. As anyone living in an urban area knows, sometimes the night sky is so filled with light that it almost looks like daylight.

All of it creates a “fog of light pollution,” over our skies, according to a new study by Science Advances.

“The entire population lives under skies so bright that the eye cannot fully dark-adapt to night vision,” the study states.

All of that artificial light obscures one of the most spectacular views in the night sky, the Milky Way galaxy where our solar system is located. Aside from interfering with star-gazing, all of that light might also be bad for our health and the environment.