Sadly, Covid-19 has put a stop to virtually all of our travel plans for a while, so all we can do is look forward to the time when we can travel again!

Well actually, there is something else we can do, which is to look up! Lockdowns around the world have had a really positive effect on the environment. Factory shutdowns and massive reductions in traffic pollution have led to a significant improvement in air quality, and closure of airports, office buildings and sports stadia, along with reduced night time traffic has also reduced light pollution.

What does that mean? It means that when we look up, we can see a lot more stars than we used to. Taking this a step further, a new photo series from a company that designs star maps has now made it possible to view city landscapes the way nature intended.

The company, Under Lucky Stars, has taken 27 cityscapes and matched them with star maps and constellations to give a representation, using photoshop, of the sky without pollution, which it says affects 80% of the world’s population.

The cityscapes are great, but to see them as nature intended is spectacular, so we thought we’d share them with you. Here are some of our favourites.

[all photos – credit Under Lucky Stars]

London, England

New York, USA

Barcelona, Spain

Beijing, China

Capetown, South Africa

Chicago, USA

New Delhi, India

Dubai, UAE

Lisbon, Portugal

Los Angeles, USA

Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

Sydney, Australia

Zoltan Toth-Czifra, from Under Lucky Stars, said our planet is part of “a much bigger picture” but that light pollution in the metropolitan world made it “impossible to see”.

He added: “If you were born in a place where stars are invisible, you’ll never forget the excitement and rush of joy you feel when you see the night sky in its unencumbered beauty for the first time.

“And the way you simply cannot take your eyes off the thousands of stars that we chose to extinguish in exchange for modern comfort.”

Offering advice to anyone interested in stargazing themselves, Mr Toth-Czifra said “the trick” is to plan, find a place high up, and remove any close sources of light.

He added: “If you’re central, get as high as possible on buildings or alternatively, head to the outskirts to a darker, quieter area such as a park to improve your chances of seeing the stars.

“Give time for your eyes to adjust to the dark and choose a moonless night, binoculars can help too, you won’t be able to see the incredible view in these images, but it’s a start.”