Star count, The history of stargazing

Even with one of the latest telescopes on earth (like one at the Haggart Observatory made in 1989 in Oregon City, Oregon, (USA)), you can't get a real idea of how many stars are out there. The decreased visibility caused by the air limits what your telescope can see.
The light from houses and businesses called light pollution, decreases the ability to see the stars. That is why most modern telescopes are usually on high mountains. But even that limits our vision.

The unimaginable number of stars in all the galaxies that were known greatly increased with the first telescopes in space. Without air and light pollution students of astronomy finally got a real hint of the real number of stars in the sky.

In fact, Carl Sagan estimated that there were 100 billion galaxies in the universe. If you can consider that there are about 31306 stars in most galaxies, you begin to get a glimpse of how many stars that were considered to exist then.

These quotes will give you an idea of how the number of estimated galaxies has increased:

"Studies of distant space with optical and radio telescopes indicate that there may be about 100 billion galaxies in the universe." - World Book Encyclopedia. Chicago: World Book, 1997: 205.

"It is composed of stars grouped into galaxies about a hundred billion galaxies in the universe." - Fisher, David. The Origin and Evolution of Our Own Particular Universe. New York: Macmillan, 1988: 60.

"The Hubble Space Telescope has found there may be 125 billion galaxies in the universe." - Galaxy Estimate Up To 125 Billion. Far News. Far Shores. citation of South China Morning Post. 9 January 1999.

Now in fact, a german supercomputer estimates that there are probably 500 billion galaxies. If we take the number 40,000 stars per galaxy, that would make more stars than anyone can ever hope to imagine.

Get your free Astronomy News in your email now at Number of stars in the univers

And you can get your own free totally unique version of this article with private label rights at endlessfreeplr.com

How to Find and Evaluate a Dark Sky Site
from wikiHow - The How to Manual That You Can Edit

The astronomer's worst enemy is stray light. Light pollution from improperly installed security lighting drowns out starlight, leaving little detail visible to the astronomer. Aside from a blackout, there is no cure for this situation. You can only run from it. Here's how to evaluate a dark sky site.
Steps

1. Chart your local sky's quality. This can be done by taking an index card, folding it in half, and cutting a square out. Hold it an arm's length away and count the number of stars inside it. This number will be your guide to how much light pollution there is. Write it on the side of the card for future reference.
   
   • Watch the clouds. Clouds should not glow orange at night. Black clouds, almost like holes, indicate a great sky.
     
   • Check the weather forecast for a clear sky and for geomagnetic storms. During solar storms, auroras may come down south, and the airglow may become strikingly intense. If you live near the Northern Lights, solar storms can cause the light show to be spectacular.
     
   
   
2. Find the light pollution level in your area. This can be done by going to http://www.lightpollution.it/dmsp/ and looking at the atlases featured on the left. Use The World Atlas of Artificial Light Sky Brightness as a guide to a site. Remember what color zone you are in.
   
3. Find an area that is at minimum green, preferably blue on the atlas. From these areas, you will see significant improvement over a city sky. Try traveling to a local campground in a green/blue area, because the park rangers will be able to help you get around if you get lost.
   
4. Travel to the site. Take the back roads because they can lead you to even better sites, but don't get lost! Have a map or GPS to guide you. When you find the site, make sure to stay away from bright lights, as this can ruin your night vision.
   
5. When you get there, do the star test again. If you don't see much of an improvement in the star count, go back out searching and try again. But you'll most likely see over 10 times as many stars in a good site.
   
   • Let your eyes adapt to the dark. Stay away from lights for 20 minutes and let your eyes do the magic. Get as far away as possible from roads.
     
   
   
6. Enjoy the night sky! Search for satellites, watch meteors as they streak across the sky, and catch a glimpse of the zodiacal light or airglow.
   
   • Take optical aid. A small telescope or binoculars will do. You'll be surprised at the wonders the sky has to offer. Try searching for the zodiacal light after sunset, which follows the sun's path across the sky. Later at night, the gegenschein and green airglow will be visible overhead. If you're lucky, you may be able to see all eight planets with binoculars, and possibly a few asteroids.
     
   • There are many tablet device apps and cell phone apps on astronomy that help you to pinpoint the night sky. Make sure that you're device is fully charged and use this app to help you to locate features in the night sky.
     
   
   

Tips

• The worst sources of light pollution are half-cutoff (cobra) streetlights and billboards. These spray light up, not down, and wipe out starlight. These also cause severe glare, and can be a pain when watching the sky. You'll notice a great improvement if you get out of sight of streetlights.
  
• Use a laser to point out objects. Be careful with it though, as it may wipe your night vision, or do worse, such as damage your eyesight.
  
• Only take a red flashlight out with you. A white flashlight will reduce or wipe out your night vision. Red cellophane over the bulb is a simple but effective modification.
  
• If Venus or Jupiter blind you, or you confuse the Milky Way with rising dawn, you've found the perfect site. Light pillars caused by city lighting should not be apparent at your site.
  
• Take your friends with you! It's always fun to share the wonders of the universe with friends.
  
• If artificial lighting is bothering you, write a letter to your city's mayor. If you are afraid to tackle this alone, the International Dark Sky Association (and possibly your local astronomy club) will be glad to help.
  

Warnings

• Always tell someone you are going to a dark sky site. Preferably take someone with you too and always be alert when you're alone in a quiet, lonely area.
  
• Prepare for the worst--take a blanket, a bit of food, and a cell phone. Make sure you have a full tank, and don't leave the car battery running too long.
  
• Summer nights can still get dangerously cold, especially in the desert. Dress for the cold. Take something warm to eat, such as an MRE or Ramen noodles in a thermos.
  
• Don't look at bright lights. Only 2 seconds of light are needed to ruin your night vision. It may also give you a headache, or leave afterimages that block your field of view. Not only do you need to watch the stars with your eyes, you need to keep an eye on your surroundings.
  
• Don't point at airplanes or others with a laser. You could damage their eyesight. A confirmed hit on an airplane can get you fined.
  

Things You'll Need

• Dark sky atlas such as The World Atlas of Artificial Light Sky Brightness
  
• Index card
  
• Red flashlight
  
• Food and drink to keep warm
  
• Warm clothing
  
• Transportation
  

Related wikiHows

• How to Stargaze
  
• How to Stargaze Comfortably
  
• How to Stargaze in May (Southern Latitudes)
  
• How to Get Started in Amateur Astronomy
  
• How to Select Astronomy Binoculars
  

Sources and Citations

• http://www.lightpollution.it/dmsp/index.html - The dark sky atlases
  
• http://www.darksky.com/ - International Dark Sky Association
  

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