Quick tips

• Read the question first. Know whether you're counting stars, crescents or both before the sky appears, so you look at the right shapes.
• Group in fives. Spotting clumps of about five is much faster than counting single stars.
• Split the sky. Estimate one half of the sky, then double it.
• Use the last sky. Was this sky busier or emptier than the last one? Start from that number and adjust.
• Go a bit higher in crowds. People tend to guess too low when a scene is packed. If it felt crowded, nudge your guess up.