Date: Sat, 11 Mar 2006 22:08:11 -0500
From: Aaron Price <aaronp
Cc: 


 Hey, all. I thought AAVSOers would be ideal for this experiment. For
about a week they are asking people to measure the limiting magnitude of
stars in Orion as method to document light pollution. Below is more
information and a link to their web site.

Aaron


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Night!  March 22 – 29, 2006.  www.globe.gov/globeatnight

What does it mean to REALLY watch the stars?  When you look at the
night sky, do you see an endless swath of glittering jewels set
against a deep velvet black sky?  Or do you see only a dozen or so
pinpricks of light doggedly shining through the soft amber glow of
streetlamps?  And how could streetlamps make a difference in the way
the sky looks?

Join thousands of other students, families, and educators by
participating in GLOBE at Night – an international event designed to
observe and record the visible stars as a means of measuring light
pollution in a given location.  Participation is open to anyone –
anywhere in the world – who can get outside and look skyward during
GLOBE at Night.  Help us reach our goal of 5000 observations from
around the world!

The quality of the night sky for stellar observations is impacted by
several factors including human activities.  By locating specific
constellations in the sky, students from around the world will learn
how the lights in their community contribute to light pollution.
Students will explore the different light sources in their community
learning the relationship between science, technology and society, and
they will report their observations online through a central database
allowing for authentic worldwide research and analysis. The
observations made during GLOBE at Night will help students and
scientists together assess how the quality of the night sky varies
around the world.

Here's How to Participate in GLOBE at Night!
• Visit http://www.globe.gov/globeatnight
• Download the GLOBE at Night Activity Packet
• Find the constellation Orion
• Compare what you see to the Magnitude Charts
• Report your observations on our website
• Sign up for the GLOBE at Night mailing list to receive the results
of this international event!

What Students Will Learn:
• How to locate and identify constellations in the night sky
• How their view of the night sky is impacted by light pollution
• How science and technology have produced local and global challenges
• How light energy is distributed at local and global scales
• How effective and efficient different light sources are in their
environment
• About economic factors involved in light pollution in their community
• How to understand patterns of human population distribution

For more information please contact globeatnight

GLOBE at Night is a collaboration between The GLOBE Program, the
National Optical Astronomy Observatory (NOAO), Centro de Apoyo a la
Didactica de la Astronomia (CADIAS), Windows to the Universe, and
Environmental Systems Research Institute, Inc. (ESRI).





www.slackerastronomy.org

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