Save the Night | Be the Solution, Stop Light Pollution
Nantucket Star Count: April 22-30, 2022
Help us map light pollution on Nantucket
What is Nantucket Star Count?
How to Submit your Observations
What is Nantucket Star Count?
We think that dark and starry skies are a special part of Nantucket. Nothing beats looking upwards to see velvety blackness, with twinkling constellations as far as the eye can see.
Artificial light at night, though, can adversely affect our ability to enjoy truly dark skies as well as our health, safety and general quality of life. It also negatively effects the welfare of wildlife, including plants and insects.
We need your help in measuring what effect artificial light is having on our night skies.
We are asking residents of Nantucket to become "citizen scientists" and participate in the Globe at Night data collection project for at least one night between April 22 and April 30.
The data reported will help map where our skies are the darkest and where light pollution is a problem.
Photo credit:
Charity Grace Mofsen
How to Participate
How to Submit your Observations
What is Nantucket Star Count?
⭐ You won’t need a telescope – just your eyes, a smartphone or tablet, and a willingness to help.
⭐ You'll need to be able to find the constellation Leo. If you don't know how to find it, some pointers are provided below. But the way to know for sure that you're looking in the right place is to download one of the many free night sky apps to your device.
⭐ You'll be asked to compare what you see in or near Leo to what you see on some star charts on the Globe at Night data reporting app. If you would like to have a paper copy of the charts to consult -- a great way to involve children! -- you can print them out here. (They are also attached to the downloadable instructions linked to above.)
⭐ If you do plan to bring paper printouts of the star charts to consult, also plan to bring a dim flashlight with a red filter over it so you'll be able to see them. (The flashlight on your device will interfere with your ability to see the stars.)
⭐ Choose a clear night between Friday April 22 and Saturday April 30.
⭐ Go outside more than an hour after sunset (9-11 pm). The moon should not be up.
⭐ Find a spot where you can see the sky to the south.
⭐ Let your eyes become used to the dark for at least 10 minutes and then find the constellation Leo. If you don't know where it is, use the night sky app you downloaded earlier.
⭐ Compare what you see in the sky to the star charts on the Globe at Night data reporting web app (or on the printout of the star charts if you brought that along).
⭐ Your next and final step is to report your observations using the Globe at Night data reporting web app.
It's that easy!
TIPS FOR THOSE NEW TO THIS:
- Familiarize yourself with the night sky app (if you choose to use one) and the Globe at Night web app ahead of time so you aren’t trying to figure it all out on the spot in the dark.
- Set aside at least 20-30 minutes to do this, to allow time for your eyes to adjust to the dark, find Leo, and report your observations.
How to Submit your Observations
How to Submit your Observations
How to Submit your Observations
⭐ Go to the Globe at Night data reporting web app (https://globeatnight.org/webapp/)
⭐ Allow the web app to use your current location as detected by your device. This will enable the app to automatically enter the latitude and longitude of your location. (If you don't want to allow the app to do that, enter your street address and click on "Map it!")
⭐ Switch to “Nighttime version" (see link just beneath the Observation Date and Time fields).
⭐ Note anything about your location that might affect your ability to see the stars (examples provided).
⭐ After your eyes have become adjusted to the dark (at least 10 minutes), choose the star chart with the "magnitude" that most closely matches what you see overhead when you're looking toward constellation Leo. That is, what is the faintest star you can see in the sky and find in the charts?
⭐ Choose the drawing that looks most like the amount of cloud cover at the time of your observation.
⭐ Note anything about the sky conditions that might be helpful (examples provided).
⭐ Click on the “SUBMIT DATA” button. You're done!
Finding Leo
The Big Dipper points the way!
The easiest way to find Leo is to first find the Big Dipper. You can trace its curved handle to the four stars that make up the bowl of the dipper. The two stars that delineate the far side of the bowl are often called pointer stars. If you follow them to the South, they will point you right to Leo.
Another way to think about using the Big Dipper to find Leo is to think about poking holes in the bottom of the dipper. The water that falls through the holes rains on Leo.
So now you know where to start looking, but you need to know what to look for. The pointer stars of the Big Dipper point to the head of Leo, which is made up of stars that form an arc or backward question mark. The “dot” of the backward question mark is Regulus. Regulus means “little king” – fitting for the constellation Leo. Regulus and the second brightest star in the backward question mark form a trapezoid with two other stars of similar brightness nearby. The brighter of the two other stars is Denebola, which means “tail of the lion,” another fitting name, as it marks Leo’s tail.
Source: https://www.globeatnight.org/finding/leo
Globe at Night 2022
Here are the other dates you can participate in the Globe at Night data collection project this year. Note that the constellation to be observed changes each month.
For more information, visit https://www.globeatnight.org.
Do you want to help preserve Nantucket's dark skies?
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