Citizen Science Sunday – Globe at Night

“Do not look at stars as bright spots only. Try to take in the vastness of the universe.”

– Maria Mitchell, Astronomer

Welcome Astronomers!

Just like Maria Mitchell, you have the power to look at the vastness of the universe. One of the ways that you can do that is through the Globe at Night citizen science campaign. Globe at Night raises awareness about the impact of light pollution. Light pollution is the presence of unwanted artificial lighting in cities across the globe. It negatively impacts the environment by harming different ecosystems, wasting energy, and getting in the way of astronomers (like you!) trying to do research.

You can be a part of the Globe at Night Program by following these simple steps:

1. Use a night sky app or website to choose a constellation that you can see from where you live. The Sky Guide app and https://skyandtelescope.org/interactive-sky-chart/ are both good options.
2. Go outside more than an hour after sunset (around 8:00-10:00pm).
3. Once your eyes are used to the darkness, look for the constellation that you chose from the app or website!
4. Go to the Globe at Night Report Page (https://www.globeatnight.org/webapp/) to enter your observations of the stars:
   1. If you are using your phone or your tablet, the app will automatically put in the date, time, and location. If you aren’t using your phone or tablet, you will need to enter this information. Type in the street address, city, state, and country that is closest to your observation site.

   2. Choose the star chart that looks similar to what you see on and surrounding your constellation.

   3. Choose the amount of cloud cover (how many clouds there were) at the time of observation.

   4. Click on the “SUBMIT DATA” button.

It’s as simple as that! Go and make an impact in STEM by doing your part for the Globe at Night citizen science campaign.