Irish stargazers to mark International Dark Sky Week with series of events

Ireland is home to some of the clearest night skies in the world due to low levels of light pollution.

Dark Sky Ireland, which raises awareness of light pollution, is organising a wide range of online events this week to celebrate the night sky during International Dark Sky Week.

Rob O'Sullivan, from Blackrock Castle Observatory in Cork, says street lamps are some of the biggest sources of light pollution.

"One of the biggest sources of light pollution is that our street lights shine light upwards, where we don't need it, instead of downwards. where we do," he said.

"So it's just a case of shielding it from above and it's a win-win situation because it's not just something that astronomers like myself care about, it's important for the environment.

"There's a lot of wasted energy and it's actually quite bad for human health too. If we're not careful it disrupts sleep cycles."