Stars are disappearing from the night sky in front of our eyes, astronomers have warned.

Every year, the sky gets as much as 10 per cent brighter, according to a major new study. That means that vast numbers of stars that were once visible are now hidden from astronomers and the public.

A child born under 250 visible stars, for instance, would only be able to see 100 of them by the time of their 18th birthday, the scientists warn.

The light pollution that is blocking out those stars is growing far more rapidly than we have realised, even despite attempts to limit it. And it could have drastic results, not only for the visibility of the night sky but for the environment, with affects on the biological systems of animals and humans, and more.

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Those are the findings of a major new study that analysed more than 50,000 observations from citizen scientists around the world, taken between 2011 and 2022. It aimed to fully understand the scale of the problem of “skyglow”, or the diffuse light of the night sky that is caused by human-made pollution.

Read more: Independent