WOULD-BE astronomers in the UK and Ireland should not, given the choice, opt to live in London, Dublin, Leeds, Manchester or Glasgow. Philip’s fascinating map of light pollution in the British Isles shows these to be the worst places from which to view the night sky.
Based on measurements by the US Air Force’s Defense Meteorological Satellite Program, this is essentially a road map colour-coded to show the areas most (and least) affected by artificial light. It falls squarely into the category of “I can’t believe nobody thought of this before”.
Recommendations for an astronomy holiday? Pack up the telescope…
