From now until March 6th people from all over the world are going out to their back yards to count stars for the Globe at Night Project, or more precisely report on the dimmest stars they can see. It’s very easy to do and can be a fun family project. You’re observations will be used by scientist to map how dark the skies are around the planet.
If you are new to this you may want to start reviewing with the family activity pack. This gives you a good overview, but you will be making submissions electronically so URLs and submission instructions do not necessarily apply. Don’t worry about finding your latitude and longitude as there are easy tools you can use on the electronic submission form. Star charts are also available to help find the constellation Orion. The key to finding Orion is finding the three bright belt stars. Basically all you have to do is look to southwest around 8PM and look for three bright stars in a line. If you want to practice finding Orion go here. Move your mouse to the area of the map you think Orion is and it will light up.
For actual observations you want to get in the darkest area you can by avoiding windows and street lights in your yard. Observe from the shadows. Wait at least ten minutes in the dark before making observations. This will give your eyes time to night adapt. Use a flashlight with a red filter, or red cellophane. (If you have a spare flashlight you can use mom’s red nail polish to paint over the lens)
When you make your observations you are looking for the dimmest stars you can see. The technical term is call visual limiting magnitude. The basic system used for measuring star brightness has been in use for thousands of years. It is easy to understand, just remember the higher the number the dimmer the star. In general the brightest stars you can see are magnitude 1 and the very dimmest star you can see in super dark skies is magnitude 7.
When making observations you will compare what you see in the sky to a “mag chart”. If you want to practice go here.
I strongly suggest you take a look at the electronic reporting form before you report. It’s straight forward, but it won’t hurt to review it before you report. This form will automatically enter the time and date. Enter your address (street, city, state) to get your latitude and longitude (and a neat picture of your home from space). Note: this form has a night version (red) so you can report directly from outside with a laptop.
Make sure you dress warmly.
Wishing you clear skies
Comments