Save the Night | Be the Solution, Stop Light Pollution
Save the Night | Be the Solution, Stop Light Pollution
Using Sky Quality Meters, we are monitoring the darkness of our night sky, thanks to some dedicated volunteers and the financial support of the Maria Mitchell Association.
The measurements taken under this program will allow comparison of the sky brightness at different places on the island and document the amount of light pollution that exists and its evolution over time so that the effectiveness of efforts to mitigate light pollution can be assessed.
The measurements can also be used to support an application to the International Dark-Sky Association (IDA) for certification of Nantucket as a “Dark Sky Community” under its International Dark Sky Places Program. Having a Sky Quality Monitoring Program is one of the requirements for that.
NOTE: For the photo, a light was turned on to make our volunteer visible. The light was off when the meter reading was taken.
Measurements will be taken at the eight locations shown on this map. These locations were chosen to include a mix of sites likely to have relatively bright and dark nighttime skies.
The average of the readings at all eight locations will be used as the reading for the island as a whole.
Every year, the Globe at Night international community science campaign, a program of NSF’s NOIRLab, raises awareness about the impact of light pollution by inviting community scientists
around the world to measure and submit night sky brightness observations.
All you need is a computer, tablet,or smartphone!
You can find more detailed instructions and the list of constellations here
and learn more about Globe at Night on their website.
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