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It’s often claimed how there is no night sky for anyone anywhere near a city these days, so if you prefer to live in one (or believe that is the ultimately sust

It’s often claimed how there is no night sky for anyone anywhere near a city these days, so if you prefer to live in one (or believe that is the ultimately sustainable choice to reduce humanity’s environmental footprint) you couldn’t care less about all those satellites flying overhead. Speaking from experience, that is not true. On a clear moonless night a few months before COVID I saw uncountable stars when I looked up from a rooftop in a moderately busy part of Kowloon of all places. (Sure, I might’ve mistaken a few satellites for celestial bodies, but I made an effort to ignore at least the non-geostationary ones.) If you cannot see night sky in your city, consider that your AQI may be too high at the moment. (Going up to the roof wouldn’t hurt either.) It doesn’t mean you couldn’t enjoy stars where you live ever again.

vanattab 4y ago
Have you ever been to a truly dark sky area though? I used to think I could see a lot of stars and then I went to a truly remote area 100's of miles from a large city and dozens of miles from even small settlements and my mind was blown away by the clarity of the milky way.
- strogonoff 4y ago
  I’ve been to pretty wild places with stark skies, though didn’t especially care to observe it at the time to be honest. Goes without arguing that outside of a city is generally easier to observe night sky because pollution is weaker. However, if the place far from a city has polluted air for whatever reason it’ll still be a problem—and conversely even in a city air and light pollution are not a given, subject to regulations and climate patterns. I’ve seen our Milky Way, not in HK but in another city (smaller but stronger air pollution). It was very weak (first, air pollution amplifying light pollution; second, it was not too high above the horizon when I was awake), but not seeing it in all of its glory doesn’t mean city dwellers have to concede that they lost the sky completely even now, much less 100 years ago—because they obviously haven’t.

vanattab 4y ago

Have you ever been to a truly dark sky area though? I used to think I could see a lot of stars and then I went to a truly remote area 100's of miles from a large city and dozens of miles from even small settlements and my mind was blown away by the clarity of the milky way.

strogonoff 4y ago
I’ve been to pretty wild places with stark skies, though didn’t especially care to observe it at the time to be honest. Goes without arguing that outside of a city is generally easier to observe night sky because pollution is weaker. However, if the place far from a city has polluted air for whatever reason it’ll still be a problem—and conversely even in a city air and light pollution are not a given, subject to regulations and climate patterns. I’ve seen our Milky Way, not in HK but in another city (smaller but stronger air pollution). It was very weak (first, air pollution amplifying light pollution; second, it was not too high above the horizon when I was awake), but not seeing it in all of its glory doesn’t mean city dwellers have to concede that they lost the sky completely even now, much less 100 years ago—because they obviously haven’t.