The countryside charity CPRE – formerly known as the Campaign to Protect Rural England – wants to find out if the pandemic has improved the situation with this year’s count, which runs from 6-14 February.
Volunteers are being encouraged to head into their gardens or peer out of the window and count the number of stars they can see in the constellation of Orion.
Their feedback will help CPRE to map the best and worst parts of the country to star gaze. Crispin Truman, chief executive of CPRE, said: “By taking part in Star Count, people will be helping us to lobby the Government for more protection of this too often overlooked, but vital, part of our countryside.