Orion Star Count for 2008

Referred by: Noah Newman, The GLOBE Program
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 few random pinpricks of light doggedly shining through the soft amber glow of street lamps? And how could street lamps make a difference in the way the sky looks?

The GLOBE program is holding an astronomy event from February 25 – March 8, 2008. People from all over the world will gaze skyward to find the constellation Orion (pictured above) in the night sky and report their observations using an interactive tool as a guide. 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.

Join thousands of other students, families, scientists, 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 free and open to anyone who lives or works in one of the 110 GLOBE Countries. Help us reach our goal of 10,000 observations from around the world!