Milky Way no longer visible to third of people due to light pollution

A new study has revealed that a third of the world's population can no longer see the Milky Way thanks to light pollution.

Almost 80 per cent of North Americans cannot see the galaxy, while 60 per cent of Europeans are unable to view it.

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Stargazers in Singapore, Kuwait and Malta are missing out almost completely due to high levels of artificial lighting.

Lead author of journal Science Advances, Fabio Falchi, from the Light Pollution Science and Technology Institute in Italy told the Guardian it was a "cultural loss of unprecedented magnitude."

In Europe, Sweden, Scotland and Norway have untarnished skies, while Chad, Central African Republic and Madagascar are the world's countries that are least exposed to light pollution.

Dr Chris Elvidge, from the National Centres for Environmental Information in Colorado, told Sky News: "We've got whole generations of people in the United States who have never seen the Milky Way.

"It's a big part of our connection to the cosmos - and it's been lost."