Cool stargazing project
by Patricia | 3.14.09The Salt Lake Tribune reports an annual event to document magnitudes of light pollution across the planet. This project invites public participation.
Every year, Globe at Night asks teachers and students, parents and their children, and stargazers located internationally to observe the constellation Orion, specifically his belt. The website linked above provides all the tools and information needed, although people will need to employ whatever means they have at their disposal to find their latitude and longitude (Globe provides instructions).
The project runs March 16-28. Orion appears in the east about an hour after sunset and maintains stellar prominence for several hours until he does a belly flop into the western horizon around midnight.
When I lived in Payson, UT, Orion and the Big Dipper were the only constellations that had the umph to shine through the Utah Valley light pollution and haze with any consistency. Where I live now, the Milky Way runs in a flood of shimmer on moonless nights—a beautiful, mind-bending swath of other places, times, and events visible from our front and back yards. Can’t wait to get out there with the kids and see how our drop-dead gorgeous night sky compares with Globe’s magnitude charts.
Ooo, yeah. We’ve got dark skies here that go on forever. Very aesthetically and spiritually exciting. Anybody not having a similarly clear window onto the rest of the galaxy—I’m sorry, but you’re losing the only view that goes on forever that you don’t have to pay for, the one everybody got for free up until the dawning of the last century’s light craze. Now we’re paying for not having that view.
My best advice: Do what’s necessary to get back what you can of the night sky as well as reduce your electric bill and possibly even sleep better at night. For good and workable ideas about why and how, go here.
I’ve also written here about light pollution and its effects.
March 15th, 2009 at 2:43 pm
So cool. I was a teen before I was ever far enough out in the country to SEE the Milky Way. It blew my mind. I tell the kids that the night sky the Greeks saw when they named all these constellation was very different- it was a busy place!
You reminded me too of the space junk we have out there in orbit-shades of Wally- and how satellites and shuttles are starting to run thru the stuff on their way out of orbit. I’m not even allowed to grow my grass past a certain height before it becomes an ordinance issue with the township! Not that I want to litter…tho I would kinda like tall grass, that could be cool.
March 15th, 2009 at 9:43 pm
We just saw Wall-E this weekend (for the first time).
Maybe you could skirt the grass issue (you know, make a grass skirt) by using tall and lovely ornamentals.
My interest in the night sky began in the early/mid 80s when I lived for about eight weeks out in the SE Utah desert at a field school for three summers. Day was day, night was night. We used very little artificial illumination at night–wasn’t necessary, our eyes adjusted to the starlight and the paths we used through the greasewood seemed to glow in the dark as the sand reflected even that barest of light. This experience helped me reconnect with that wilderness that pushes in on our awareness when the sun goes down …
March 18th, 2009 at 9:45 pm
Well, we submitted our data tonight. Our view at about 9:45 this evening measured between a Magnitude 5 and Magnitude 6; we reported a 6 (because my daughter was seeing the stars at a Mag 6–my eyes aren’t as good but were seeing better than a Mag 5, and my son reported only being able to see slightly better than a Mag 4). The highest nighttime sky clarity is a Magnitude 7. We are in the grip of a persistent high pressure which traps some haze, so the sky wasn’t as sharp as it gets.
If any storms roll through before the 28th (the last day of the project), we’ll report again.
We saw several shooting stars while we observed. That always inspires oooohs and aaaahs.
Fun!
March 20th, 2009 at 11:00 pm
Patricia,
Here in Snail Hollow, we have some difficulty discerning Orion. The stars are much too brilliant.
March 21st, 2009 at 8:24 am
Jim,
You wouldn’t be telling tall tales, would you?
Sounds like your stars are off the magnitude charts. Maybe you ought to consider participating in this project. It’s easy.