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I GET HIGH B4 I REPLY say: City lights, street lamp and the like outshine any star. Which is why Observatories are located on a hill outside of the city so they look above the glare of the lights. Go out for a drive to farming country where street lamps are very much, unknown or rarely used and there is hardly any road traffic. The stars are there...and now you can see them.
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digquickly say: Well, ..., most likely you live in a place where there a lot of light pollution. In those areas all but a few of the very brightest stars are blocked by ambient light. Once you get our in the country away from lights the sky is a live with stars. Plan a camping trip our to a dark site some time and you'll see what I'mm talking about. My wife an I often plan our vacation to dark sky sites so we can take advantage of the deep sky observations.
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jehen say: You won't see many stars if you live in an area of heavy light pollution, or if the sky is obscured by clouds, haze or smoke. If your eyesight is poor - either night blindness or poor acuity you won't see very many stars.
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Rick B say: You must live in the city. Out in the country we see a lot of stars.
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Ricki say: Lght pollution from nearby lights overwhelms the stars. Get out to the dark countryside and you'll see all the stars you see in the movies.
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cromm cruac say: because of light pollution probably.
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steventtw20 say: I live in a city full of artificial light. But to your and my surprise, if you go to a open area with few high buildings block your view and it is a clear night, then you can see quite a lot of stars and constellations. In fact, even the whole city of light cannot cover the brightest stars such as Venus, Saturn, Mars, Sirius, Antares and so on.
For example, 2 days before, I walked along a promenade under a very clear sky at about 7 pm, Orion is over my head, then I can find other constellations such as Taurus, Gemini, Auriga and stars like Sirius, Procyon, Pollux and so on. In another casual walk, I could take pictures of constellations Scorpius, Sagittarius and tails of Ursa Major by my simple digital camera. You need some training to find less bright stars and constellations under strong city light, it is hard at the beginning, but you will be very satisfy once you can recognize a constellation for the first time.
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