We are not sure how much longer we have with the Milky Way, it could be a couple of decades, or is might be less. We cannot blame this on the usual suspects (greenhouse gas emissions, global warming…), the culprit is actually much more mundane — the good old light bulb.

As you switch on the lights in your house tonight, you will do so with such automation you don’t even realise you are doing it. We need light in modern life, we’ve always had it, and we couldn’t image life without it. But the devastating fact is that light pollution (which causes artificial skyglow) is killing stars.

Each year, the number of stars we can see in the night sky diminishes. According to a new atlas of light pollution published by the journal of Science Advances, 80% of the world live under light polluted skies, and that one third of the world cannot see the Milky Way!

Can you imagine that for some people, they will never experience that awe you get when you see the Milky Way for the first time? Not to mention the impact artificial light has on nocturnal animals and their ecosystems.

If you want to treat your eyes to a glimpse of the universe while it lasts, explore our map of the official Dark Sky Reserves around the world for the world’s best stargazing locations.

Dark Sky Reserves Map