Help celebrate our dark skies

Star Count 2023 is coming! Between 17-24 February 2023, CPRE’s annual citizen science project returns. Last year, thousands took part and counted the stars in their night sky – even in London. So save the date, and help celebrate our dark skies.

What is Star Count?
Dark and starry skies are a special part of enjoying our environment. Nothing beats looking upwards to see velvety blackness, with twinkling constellations as far as the eye can see. Even in London, there are spaces which are perfect for budding astronomers. According to the website gostargazing.co.uk some of the best include Blythe Hill Field, SE23, Primrose Hill, NW1, and Greenwich Park, SE10.

Light, though, can affect our view of truly dark skies, and cause problems for wildlife. We want to make sure that we can all enjoy starlit nights. We need your help in measuring what effect light is having on our views of the galaxy.

The best way to see how many stars we can all see in the sky is … to count them! Every year, around February, we ask people to become ‘citizen scientists’ and look heavenwards for one night.

Over the years, many thousands of you have submitted your count, which our experts then analyse and compare with previous years. We then publish our findings on the website, and email those who took part.

Star Count 2023
Star Count 2023 will take place between 17-24 February 2023.