On a slightly different tack, it's worth noting that the rural night sky isn't actually that black - largely because the lack of light pollution allows more of the starlight to show itself. OF course, it depends on cloud cover and whatnot, but having lived in the sticks for a good few years now, I can tell you happily of times when I have walked down a road with no streetlights and seen my shadow stretch before me as clear as day, or night when looking up, there was almost more starlight than there was empty space between the stars.

JonTheCelt