CHRIS Packham is urging residents to join an initiative to measure light pollution.

The broadcaster is asking the public to support environmental charity CPRE’s annual star count, which runs until Friday 24 February.

In a campaign described as “Rewilding the Night Sky”, Chris wants people to spend 20 minutes counting stars to help build a national database mapping light pollution, and to help restore truly dark natural habitats for threatened wildlife.

‘‘This is a great piece of citizen science where me and you can gaze into the night sky and count the number of stars which are visible to us in the constellation of Orion,” Chris said. “This is stargazing made easy and you don't even need a telescope.

“Light pollution can be a real nuisance. It can interrupt animals’ behaviour and drastically disrupt their ecology, particularly nocturnal species like bats and moths.”

Chris has an enthusiastic ally in John Axtell, who for a decade was group leader of the Woking Area U3A astronomy group.

‘’I would encourage everyone to take part,” John said. “It’s important to realise that it’s about wildlife as much as astronomy, light pollution has a far-reaching effect.

‘’I think most of those involved would know Orion, so wait for a dark, clear night, then try to count as many stars as you can in the box drawn by the four corner stars in the constellation.

“The three stars in Orion’s belt should be visible, and the three stars in his dagger. There are a lot more, of course, but 12 or 13 would be a reasonable score.

“There is a good deal of light pollution in Woking, but don’t be discouraged, do get involved and remember that there are many fascinating things to see in the night sky besides Orion.

“Beyond the star count, it’s interesting too that the House of Lords has recently called for evidence in its inquiry into the impact of artificial light and noise on human health, so hopefully things are moving in the right direction.”

John famously monitored the night skies through a tall, vertical telescope in his garden, but time has caught up with him.

“I’m 76 now and I had to use a ladder to reach the eye-piece of the telescope, which I felt was getting less and less wise,” John said.

“So I sold it to someone who is planning to put it about 10,000 feet up in the Atlas Mountains in Morocco.

“I’ve got a smaller version now, which is easier for me to reach it’s eye-piece. It’s like its little brother.”

To join the count, which only covers the stars that can be seen in the constellation of Orion, visit www.cpre.org.uk and use the Star Count 2023 tab. There is a form to submit your results, as well as a series of helpful hints and images to assist in identifying Orion.

To give evidence to the House of Lords investigation, google ‘’House of Lords Light Pollution” for more details.