Nothing beats dark and starry skies, velvety black with twinkling constellations as far as the eye can see.

Unfortunately light pollution from buildings and streetlights means that starlit nights are becoming a thing of the past.

That’s why CPRE, the countryside charity, supported by the British Astronomical Association, is asking us to look heavenwards on any clear night from tomorrow until February 14 and record the number of stars within the constellation of Orion we can see.

The results of Star Count, which is held annually, will help measure what effect light is having on our view of the galaxy – and particularly whether lockdown has helped cut light pollution.

Once mapped, the data will be compared to 2020 to see whether lockdown has had an impact and will be used for lobbying efforts for darker skies. In 2020 the findings revealed that 61% of the participants live with severe light pollution.

Mary McIntyre, a fellow of the Royal Astronomical Society, lives in Tackley and is taking part in the survey.

She said although there is a lot of orange sky glow to the south of the village she was able to photograph the Northern Lights last summer.

“During the first lockdown there was definitely an improvement in sky transparency, possibly because of the reduction in air traffic."

Orion has been chosen because it is one of the brightest winter constellations and can be seen even from very light polluted locations.

To spot it, Mrs McIntyre advised: “It can be found hanging above the southern sky after dark and is shaped like an egg timer. On the top left side is a red giant star called Betelgeuse and on the lower right side is a blue super giant star called Rigel. It’s really good fun to look at the colour comparison between the two stars.”

Keeping track of how the night sky is affected by lighting also gives us some idea of the impact we are having on wildlife.

She said: “Poor lighting choices are impacting wildlife in a huge way. The trend towards blue-rich LED lights, which are too bright, unshielded and badly angled, is contributing towards the death of millions of migratory birds each year.

“Some 60% of our biodiversity depends on darkness to survive so light pollution is causing huge amounts of stress to nocturnal species. Some 60% of insects are nocturnal and the death of insects then in turn causes species who eat insects, such as bats, to go hungry.

“It’s been shown that trees are budding early as well, so it’s affecting plant life too. There is also a concern about the long-term impacts of blue-rich LED lights on human health because it suppresses the production of melatonin which is needed for sleep.”

Mrs McIntyre said many rural parts of Oxfordshire have good skies for stargazing.

"In summer you can see the Milky Way and once your eyes have adapted you may even spot the Andromeda Galaxy with the naked eye.

“By doing Star Count surveys like this it helps to pinpoint where we are getting it wrong with lighting,” she said.

To register and for more tips and information, visit the CPRE website here.

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