# Loss of the night > Citizen science app to measure and report night sky brightness for light pollution research. (iPhone/iPad app by DDQ.) - Source: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/loss-of-the-night/id928440562 (this page in markdown: same URL + `.md`) - Developer: [DDQ](https://appshunter.io/developer/418328467) - Category: Education, Entertainment - Price: Free - Rating: 4.08/5 from 12 App Store ratings · 4 written reviews indexed - Age rating: 4+ - Requires: iOS 7.0 · 19 MB - Languages: Arabic, Catalan, Czech, English, French, German, Hebrew, Italian, Japanese, Polish and 5 more - Released: 2014-11-12 - Data updated: 2026-06-10 - Monetization: free - User reviews in markdown: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/loss-of-the-night/id928440562/reviews.md ## What is Loss of the night? "Contribute to a world-wide citizen science project." (The Guardian) "Find out exactly how bad the light pollution is." (Chandra Clarke, citizensciencecenter.com) "The app couldn't be easier to use, and you can even learn different constellations along the way." (Nicholas Fordes, plos.org) The Loss of the Night app turns your eyes into a light meter, allowing you to become a citizen scientist and report how bright the night sky is where you live! In many parts of the world, the night sky shines with wasted artificial light from poorly designed street lamps. Skyglow outshines the stars in the skies, and dramatically changes the natural nighttime environment. Scientists are concerned that light pollution might have a big impact on nocturnal ecosystems, but they have very little information about how bright the actually sky is worldwide, or how skyglow is changing over the years. You can help monitor skyglow using this app! It's based on Google's Sky Map, and lets you make measurements with a very sensitive, stable, and well understood light meter: your eyes! All you need to do is look for certain stars in the sky, and tell us whether you can see them or not. Using the Loss of the Night app is both fun and educational, and it also generates important scientific information that might help to protect the environment in the future. After you've finished your measurement, your data will be anonymously sent to the GLOBE at Night project. You can see it on a map, check how accurate your measurment was, track changes over time, and compare it to other observations from around the world at http://www.myskyatnight.com. Counting stars is a great experience and family activity, and you might find that you learn the names of stars and constellations without even trying. Students can use the app to measure skyglow and star visibility for their own science projects, and at the same time be part of a global citizen science network. The most important information for this project comes from brightly lit places where you can't see many stars, but you're welcome to use it in places where you can still see the Milky Way. If you’re lucky enough to be in such a place, let others know! Satellites look at the ground, not the sky. By comparing the skyglow to the ground brightness, you will help communities learn what types of lamps light the streets instead of the sky. Hopefully in the future, cities will save energy and money, while having appropriately lit streets, dark bedrooms, and a sky once again full of stars. Lots more information, including details of preliminary results, is available on the project blog: http://lossofthenight.blogspot.com You are welcome to get into contact with the light pollution researchers from Verlust der Nacht that built this app, and learn about their other projects (http://www.verlustdernacht.de). The app also provides some basic information on the history, importance, and consequences of artificial light at night. This project was sponsored by the Federal Ministry of Education and Research (Germany). ## Key features - Measure night sky brightness with your eyes - Contribute to global citizen science projects - Learn constellations and star names - Track changes in skyglow over time - View your data on a world map - Understand light pollution's environmental impact ## Recent user reviews (4 of 4) All indexed reviews: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/loss-of-the-night/id928440562/reviews.md ### 1/5 — Creepy terms of service *2020-10-04, version 1.2.1* Wow, just wow. ### 5/5 — Great for Identifying Stars AND light pollution! *2020-07-11, version 1.2.1* While this app is great for identifying the amount of light pollution where you live, I tend to use it more to just see where certain stars are in the sky, which is a great feature! Because of its dual abilities I give it 5 stars! ### 5/5 — Clever Idea, and Helping the World! *2019-09-28, version 1.2.1* ps I was forced to download this for school, but I tried it, and it’s actually pretty cool. The title explains my thoughts! ### 5/5 — Inconsistent *2015-04-14, version 1.1* Hello, I did this one night, clearly saw some stars, barely saw some stars, and it said my limiting magnitude was around 5. The next night, after maybe a little more night vision adjusting, I could clearly see everything they threw at me, and it told me the same thing! Also, there should be another option. Some stars I can just see, like Regulus. Some stars I can barely see and need averted vision to see. Other stars, I need a little time to try and find, but once I find them I can see them. I put those as "clearly seeing" even though I kind of moderately see them. ## Frequently asked questions about Loss of the night ### How does Loss of the Night measure light pollution? Loss of the Night uses your eyes as a light meter. You observe specific stars and report whether you can see them, which helps determine the brightness of the night sky in your location. ### What is the GLOBE at Night project? The GLOBE at Night project is a global citizen science initiative that collects data on light pollution. Your measurements from Loss of the Night are anonymously sent to this project to help scientists monitor skyglow worldwide. ### Can I use Loss of the Night to learn about stars? Yes, the app is educational and can help you learn different constellations and star names as you make your measurements. It's a fun way to engage with astronomy. ### What is the age rating for Loss of the Night? Loss of the Night has an age rating of 4+, making it suitable for a wide range of users, including children and families. ### How often is Loss of the Night updated? The app was last updated on March 1, 2016, to version 1.2.1. While updates have not been frequent recently, the core functionality remains stable for its scientific purpose. ### Is Loss of the Night free to use? Yes, Loss of the Night is completely free to download and use. There are no in-app purchases or subscription fees required to contribute to the citizen science project. ### Does Loss of the Night have ads? The provided data does not indicate that Loss of the Night contains advertisements. It is designed as a free educational and scientific tool. ### Where can I see the data collected by Loss of the Night? Your measurements are anonymously sent to the GLOBE at Night project. You can view this data on a map and compare it with other observations from around the world at http://www.myskyatnight.com. ## Version history (last 1 release) ### 1.2.1 — 2016-03-01 This app has been updated by Apple to display the Apple Watch app icon. - fixes a bug with scrolling on the manualpages ## Apps similar to Loss of the night | App | Rating | Price | Category | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | [Creek Critters](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/creek-critters/id896125310) | 4.8 (25) | Free | Education | | [Project FeederWatch](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/project-feederwatch/id1439222765) | 3.0 (68) | Free | Education | | [Anecdata.org](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/anecdataorg/id1315666791) | 5.0 (4) | Free | Education | | [Star-Spotting \| SPOTTERON](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/star-spotting-spotteron/id1450415974) | — | Free | Education | | [CitSci](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/citsci/id657196305) | 4.5 (2) | Free | Education | | [Sky Live: Heavens Above Viewer](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/sky-live-heavens-above-viewer/id693905898) | 4.6 (14,138) | Free | Education | ## More apps by DDQ - [Mijn Hemel](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/mijn-hemel/id419104939) - [iSPEX](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/ispex/id584360175) - [pneumonia](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/pneumonia/id584360843) - [Triatlas](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/triatlas/id592681081) - [Dark Sky Meter](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/dark-sky-meter/id602989060) All apps by DDQ: https://appshunter.io/developer/418328467 --- *Data collected daily from the US App Store and indexed by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/). User reviews are verbatim App Store reviews. Ratings, prices and chart positions refresh continuously; this snapshot is from 2026-06-10.*