Ask Marilyn: A Reader Misses Seeing the Stars of His Youth

Fred Piceno of Warner Robins, Georgia, writes:

Marilyn: I miss the days of my youth, when I could look up at a clear night sky and view the splendor of the multitude of stars visible to the naked eye. My question is this: If, on a clear night, all of the world's lights were suddenly extinguished, would I have a view of the stars similar to the views I had growing up in the 1960s?

Marilyn responds:

Yes, and your view would be even better. (Plenty of electric light was brightening—or polluting—the night sky in the sixties.) But you don't need a dim world. Plenty of splendid views can be yours today. Just pick a spot far from a city.