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How bad is light pollution where you live?

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David Gregory|16:59 UK time, Wednesday, 2 February 2011

Time exposure photograph of polar stars during a meteor shower. The circular streaks of light result from the rotation of the Earth in relation to the fixed stars. The diagonal line across the trails is the track of a Perseid meteor. Photographed over the rim of Nicola River canyon, British Columbia, Canada, in August.

Tonight I'm reporting on plans to turn off the lights on a section of the M5 between junctions 2 and 4. The Highways Agency say this will help them reduce their carbon footprint. Although it will also produce a multimillion pound saving on their electricity bill. You can read more about this story here.

In science terms, what's exciting about this move is the prospect of it becoming widespread and so reducing light pollution across the Midlands. Making stargazing a slightly more rewarding experience for those of us who live in more urban areas. Every little helps!

At the moment the Council for the Protection of Rural England is running a star gazing survey to investigate just how bad light pollution has become. You can read more about the problems here and take part in the survey here. And if you're an amateur astronomer let us know just how bad the light pollution is where you are in the comments.

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About this blog

David GregoryI'm David Gregory, BBC Science Correspondent for the West Midlands. My first law states: "Science is the answer." There is no second law. Feel free to drop me a line: [email protected].

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