The increase in the surface brightness of the night sky and its importance in visual astronomical observations

Abstract

The problem of sky pollution with artificial light currently affects practically all branches that are related to the broadly understood environment. This is especially true for astronomical observations. This paper presents the results of measurements of the surface brightness of the night sky for the city of Rzeszów and the surrounding area, which were made in 2015, 2018 and 2021 using the photometer Sky Quality Meter (SQM-L). The measurements show that the surface brightness of the night sky in Rzeszów in 2015 was in the range from 19.20 to 18.67 mag/arcsec2, in 2018 the value of brightness oscillated in the range from 18.53 to 16.47 mag/arcsec2, and in 2021 this value was in the range from 17.13 by 15.11 mag/arcsec2. Translating the obtained values on the Bortle scale, we can see an increase in the brightness of the night sky from class VI in 2015 to class IX in 2021. A similar trend applies to neighboring towns, for which an increase in brightness from class IV in 2015 to class VIII in 2021 was also observed. An increase in the surface brightness of the night sky causes a deterioration or even loss of visibility of astronomical objects in the night sky. This is especially true for comets and low-brightness stars. Based on the measurement results, a forecast of the development of light pollution was prepared for the study areas until 2025. This forecast shows that we will still have to deal with an increase in the surface brightness of the night sky. Due to the further projected increase in the brightness of the night sky, it should be expected that observers in small towns will experience changes in the quality of the sky over the coming years, which will undoubtedly make astronomical observations difficult, in particular for faint celestial bodies such as comets.