Light pollution has intensified in the past half-century, increasing about 6% each year in North America and Europe, according to research published using a previous atlas created 15 years ago by the same researchers. That atlas, and the new study, define “light-polluted skies” as having a luminance of 14 or more microcandelas per square meter—about 10% higher than normal night sky brightness levels.
The new atlas shows that now, more than 80% of the world experiences light-polluted night skies, which includes roughly 83% of Earth’s population, and more than 99% of Europeans and Americans. By population, Singapore has the world’s most light-polluted skies, followed by Kuwait, Qatar, and the United Arab Emirates—all densely populated countries. Africa has the dimmest skies; the top 10 least polluted countries are on the continent.
Kuwait’s on a roll… [Link]
Thanks D. Basu
17 replies on “Kuwait has the world’s second most light-polluted skies”
Yeah. You can’t escape the light. We go deep in Salmi desert, but the light from the city is very visible. You can’t really get good pictures of the sky in Kuwait.
Of course kuwait having most light sky this a dessert man?! Kuwait having more sunlight so much sunny day make it to having most bright sky.
This really dumb crazy graph
Go back for America whiteboy
If RETARD was a sport, you’d be head coach. Keep up the good work.
https://i.imgur.com/zqli1.jpg
Rude, incompetent & racist. Well done u just went full retard.
Actually, I lived in another desert that wasn’t urbanize like Kuwait. The starts were AMAZING and one could even see clearly the band of the Milky Way.
Learn to differentiate between dessert and desert first.
I concur. I have a personal observatory at home (Ikarus Observatory) and the light pollution levels in Kuwait are horrendous. I can only image via very narrowband filters, The only relatively dark skies are in Salmy and even then it’s just a matter of time before it’s completely polluted.
Cheap electricity enables many to keep lights on during the night, in addition to street lights. It’s ironic that’s a “good” sky is when I can visually see 3rd magnitude stars. On the bortle scale (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bortle_scale), ubran areas in Kuwait are mostly 8/9 while in AlSalmi it can get down to 6/7
As soon as i read “concur” I knew shit just got real.
*wowzer* Hero!
I have no knowledge about sky observation at all. Yet, I am keen to know and possibly see your observatory in action. Will be thankful if you cna please give me an opportunity to visit your observatory and know more about it.
Kuwait is a dot in the map. Ofcourse that dot will be lit.
I don’t understand why Companies keep their light ON whole night? Even humra tower keeps the lights ON, if u have noticed the top most floor.
go out to sea, by kubbar and those islands, very late in the night. A year ago i could actually catch a faint glow of the milky way galaxy across the sky
This whole milky way discussion is making me hungry.
Any idea on where would be the best location to take an 8″ Dobsonian telescope for an observing night? Where would be the least light polluted spot in Kuwait? I dont mind driving far into the desert.
When I lived in Kuwait (2009-2012) a friend and I would head out toward the Iraq border on the west. Head west on Sabah al Salem al Sabeh Road and turn north at the Scrap Cars intersection. Drive north about 8 or 10 miles, then turn off the road on either side and drive a mile or so into the desert. There’s a light dome from Al Jahra, but it’s 30 miles away ‘as the crow flies’ as we say in America.