Orion Star Count
March 22, 2006
Referred by: Noah Newman
Summary authors & editors: Noah Newman
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?
The GLOBE program is holding an astronomy event from March 22 to 29, where people from all over the world are encouraged to find the constellation of Orion (pictured above) in their night sky and report the amount of light pollution using an interactive tool as a guide. See "More About This" link below.
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 the week of March 22-29, 2006! There is no cost to participate in 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 counting the stars in Orion, visible from nearly everywhere on Earth at this time of year, students and scientists together will be able to assess how the quality of the night sky varies around the world.
Related Links: