Can you see stars in South Carolina?

[cragar]

My friend lives in south Carolina , and he said even on a clear night he can't the stars
does anyone have some insight ? And he said the air quality is good .

 

[negitron]

If he's just walking out of his house and immediately looking up at the sky, he wouldn't be able to see them because his eyes haven't had time to adjust to the darkness. Tell him to give it up to a half hour for his eyes to become dark-adapted and to be in an area without bright outdoor lighting. If he still can't see them, he may have a vision problem he'll want to have looked at by an ophthalmologist.

 

[cragar]

he just moved there from boise , and in boise he said he could see the stars no problem.

 

[russ_watters]

If the weather is humid, the sky can be cloudless, yet not very transparent. Also, if he just moved, then he's never seen the sky in SC without the full moon in it, which will wash out most stars.

 

[Integral]

Compared to Bosie there are no stars visible on the east coast.

 

[jtbell]

Does he live in a city, or out in the country?

Maybe the humid air that we have here in SC scatters more light from the moon, streetlights, etc. We've got just about a full moon right now.

 

[cragar]

ok thanks for the answers people . i think he lives in a city .

 

[uart]

Air quality and "light pollution" (as in lots of bright city lights) are the main factors that determine how clearly we see the stars and the night sky in general.

Also it's somewhat a relative perspective. Where I live the night sky and stars are reasonably well visible but never the less when I go away camping far from any large cities (whether it be in the mountains or on the coast) I'm often just amazed at the clarity of the night sky.