These Depressing Images Reveal What We Can’t See in the Night Sky : ScienceAlert

If you look at the night sky, it can range from a dusty glow to an inky black expanse with thousands of bright stars, depending on where you are.

on a clear night offers predictions Several thousand stars are visible to the naked eye, but the light-polluted brilliance of city and small-town lights prevents us from seeing all the splendor of the cosmos.

Astronomers use the Bortle Scale, which rates visibility from one to nine, to describe how much light pollution a particular place has. John Bortle first described it in the 2001 edition. Sky and Telescope, an astronomy magazine.

Each level classifies the night sky according to its cosmic views. You can find the Bortle Scale level for your night sky using the interactive map tool at lightpollutionmap.info.

These images show how many more stars you can see in truly dark skies, outside cities, suburbs, and other human light sources:

The ninth level categorizes the inner city sky as the worst for stargazing. (Tony Flanders)

Observable: moonclosest planets and a handful of brightest stars

Where in the USA: New York, Las Vegas, Los Angeles

An extremely bright light-polluted sky, often found in large cities, glows orange. While not as potentially harmful as other types of pollution, light pollution can affect human health.

Multiple studies, exposure to light at night disrupting the body’s biological clockwhich? linked to health complicationscontain obesity, depressionand sleep disorders.

The eighth level classifies the city sky, where you can only see faint constellations. (Sriram Murali)

Observable: Constellations may be slightly visible

Where in the USA: Boston, Massachusetts; Austin, Texas; Indianapolis, Indiana

At the eighth level, the sky can be so bright due to light pollution that you can read with it. Most stars and even constellations will be invisible to the naked eye.

The seventh level classifies the transition from city to suburban areas, this is the third worst level for stargazing. (Sriram Murali)

Observable: star cluster M44 and Andromeda Galaxy It is very obscure and the Milky Way is completely invisible or almost invisible.

Where in the USA: Seattle, Washington; Savannah, Georgia; salt lake city, Utah

Light pollution in these areas causes the entire sky to appear light gray, and the Milky Way is not effectively visible.

AND 2016 study It is estimated that a third of humanity cannot see the sky, even on the clearest night. Milky Way.

The sixth level classifies the bright suburban sky where some stars can be seen. (Tony Flanders)

Observable: The Andromeda Galaxy looks only vaguely

Where in the USA: Albuquerque, New Mexico; Lincoln, Nebraska; Bloomington, Indiana

At the sixth level, the clouds appear quite bright and the sky shines a grayish white. Under these conditions, light pollution is very bright.

The fifth level classifies suburban skies, where you can vaguely see the Milky Way. (Sriram Murali)

Observable: The Milky Way Galaxy may appear faint

Where in the USA: Burlington, Vermont; Santa Fe, New Mexico; Great Junction, Colorado

Most of us spend our lives at or above this Bortle Scale level, according to the telescope shop. OPT Telescopes.

At level five, light pollution will be visible in most, if not all, directions. The clouds are brighter than the sky itself and the Milky Way is fainter.

The fourth level classifies the transition from suburban to rural areas where you can see the Milky Way. (Sriram Murali)

Observable: Milky Way, galaxy triangle

Where in the USA: Twin Falls, Idaho; Flagstaff, Arizona; Wind River Indian Reservation, Wyoming

Light pollution can be viewed from several directions. Under this sky, the sky background starts to look gray instead of black.

The third level classifies the rural sky, where you can see the dusty Milky Way. (Sriram Murali)

Observable: Milky Way Galaxy and densely packed collections of stars M4, M5, M15and M22

Where in the USA: Yosemite National Park, California; Everglades National Park, Florida; Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Tennessee

You can see the Milky Way but fine detail is gone. Some clouds are illuminated in the direction of the light sources, but the upper clouds remain dark.

The second level categorizes the typical dark sky regions that are second best to view the cosmos. (Sriram Murali)

Observable: Milky Way galaxy, Magellanic Clouds

Where in the USA: Cherry Springs State Park, Pennsylvania; Adirondack Park, New York; Joshua Tree National Park, California

The Milky Way is highly visible to the naked human eye. sky flareA light fog from scattered light sources on the ground is weakly visible on the horizon.

Level one categorizes areas of perfect dark sky that are best for stargazing. (Sriram Murali)

Observable: Milky Way Galaxy, Andromeda Galaxy, Orion Nebula

Where in the USA: Big Bend National Park, Texas; Grand Canyon National Park, Arizona; Denali National Park, Alaska

The First Order sky provides an unobstructed view of the cosmos, similar to what Galileo saw. The night sky is brimming with stars, making faint constellations difficult to distinguish. The Milky Way is so bright it can cast shadows.

This article was originally published by Business Content.