Star Count Week (January 31st to February 6th 2011) – Take Part!

5th January 2010

Between January 31st and February 6th 2011, CPRE National Office will be encouraging people to go out and count the stars within the constellation of Orien. The campaign is being run with the British Astronomical Association's Campaign for Dark Skies (CfDS). CPRE National Office are planning to use the results to produce a star count map showing how light pollution is affecting people's view of the night sky. This follows on from its successful Star Count in the winter of 2006/7.

In a press release issued by CPRE National Office on 1 January 2011, Emma Marrington, Rural Policy Campaigner at CPRE, says: "The Star Count survey will help us measure the extent of light pollution. We want to use this evidence to convince Ministers and local councils of the need to take action to tackle it, for example by ensuring that the correct lighting is used only where it is needed and when it is needed. This would cut light pollution, reduce carbon emissions and save money at the same time. Some local authorities are already taking action to tackle light pollution in their areas; we need more to do the same."

In 2006/07 nearly 2,000 people took part in the CPRE/CfDS Star Count Week. In that year, only two per cent of respondents said they could see more than 30 stars in Orion, compared with 54 per cent who saw fewer than 10 – a level which indicates severe light pollution. The results from the next Star Count Week will allow researchers to see whether light pollution is continuing to get worse or if there has been an improvement.

It is simple and easy to take part in Star Count Week 2011. Full instructions are available here and will be on the CPRE website from 10 January 2011.

How to take part in Star Count Week 2011:

Participants can choose any night between Monday 31 January and Sunday 6 February but the sky must be clear, with no haze or clouds, so there is the best chance of seeing stars. It is recommended that observations are made after 7pm so the sky is sufficiently dark.

Organisers are asking people to count stars within the constellation of Orion in the southern night sky – the same direction that household satellite dishes face. The main area of the constellation is bounded by four bright stars. The star count should not include these four corner stars – only those within this rectangular boundary – but do include the stars in the middle known as Orion's three-star belt. (A diagram will be available at www.cpre.org.uk/starcount from 10 January 2010).

People should make a count of the number of stars seen with the naked eye (not with telescopes or binoculars) and then simply complete the online survey form or send their count, the time and date it was made, and the location to our address: Star Count, Campaign for Dark Skies, 38 The Vineries, Colehill, Wimborne, BH21 2PX.

Further details of the Star Count Week and instructions on how to take part can be found here.

See: CPRE National Office ‘Star Count Week’ Circular (PDF)

See: CPRE and CfDS lighting nuisance survey 2009/10: Results

Stars and snowdrops at Hanwell

November 2010

Next February Banbury CPRE is pleased to be joining the Hanwell Community Observatory in their annual “Stars & Snowdrops” fundraising weekend. This popular event was designed to make both the observatory and the grounds accessible to the general public while construction of the Millennium telescope was in progress. It is now a fixture for the second weekend in February as the snowdrops come into full bloom. The Castle has carpets of them and the open weekend allows you to stroll through 20 acres of woodland, followed by tea and homemade cakes by a roaring log fire.

Please come along on Saturday February 12th, between 12pm and 5pm or on Sunday February 13th , between 10.30am and 5pm.

For more information contact: Jean Tarver, Banbury Secretary

See: Hanwell Community Observatory (external website)

CPRE Oxfordshire welcomes County Councils’ decision to cut back on street lighting, but says it could do more

10th November 2010

In response to the BBC Newsnight investigation (9/11/10) that found significant numbers of councils considering cutting back on street lighting, Emma Marrington, Rural Policy Campaigner at the Campaign to Protect Rural England (CPRE), says:

“The decision by many councils to explore a reduction in the levels of street lighting will be welcomed by many. This move may have been driven by financial cut backs, but it is certainly the right choice if we are to reduce light pollution and energy consumption.”

In recent years, light pollution has been a growing problem, with more and more people around the UK not enjoying a clear view of the night sky. In early 2010 a CPRE/CfDS survey found eight out of ten people (83 per cent) had their view of the night sky affected by light pollution. Councils spend a collective £532 million on street lighting each year and the lights can account for around 5-10 per cent of a council’s carbon emissions.

Newsnight contacted 75 councils in England and Wales and asked if they were scaling back street lighting. Of those it spoke to 32 said they were turning off some lights, nine were opting for dimming lights, 14 were considering changes while 20 had no plans to alter levels of street lighting.

According to Newsnight, Oxfordshire County Council is ‘considering switching off/dimming lights’. CPRE Oxfordshire welcomes this decision as a move in the right direction, but urges the County Council to go one step further and join those Councils which are actively switching off or dimming its lights.

District Councillors will meet on December 15th to decide the fate of the application.

See: CPRE National Office Press Release

See: BBC Newsnight report (external website)

See: Council’s responses (external website)

Archived News

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