31 January 2011 Last updated at 08:18

Audio slideshow: Dark sky stargazers

Look up into the night sky where you live, and the chances are that your view of the stars will be affected in some way by light pollution. To see how much artificial lighting blocks out the cosmos - and find the starriest skies - the British public are being asked to take part in a national experiment.

The Campaign to Protect Rural England and The Campaign for Dark Skies want people to look up at Orion - one of the most recognisable constellations in the winter night sky - and count the stars they see. One of the organisers, astronomer Darren Baskill from the University of Sussex, explains.

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Star Count Week runs from Monday 31 January to Sunday 6 February 2011.

Click 'show captions' for image information. Music by Elton John and courtesy KPM Music.

Slideshow production by Paul Kerley. Publication date 31 January 2011.

Related:

Dark Sky Tourism

The Campaign to Protect Rural England

The British Astronomical Association - Star Count

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Seeing into space

Images of Nature