1 outreach you can do to promote dark skies awareness: connie walker (national optical astronomy...

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Outreach You Can Doto Promote Dark Skies Awareness:

Connie WalkerConnie Walker((National Optical Astronomy ObservatoryNational Optical Astronomy Observatory))

and the "GaN" Teamand the "GaN" Team

GLOBE at NightGLOBE at Night

For Local Leaders of Dark Sky Advocacy…For Local Leaders of Dark Sky Advocacy…

January 20, 20111

NSN2011 Telecon

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National Optical Astronomy Observatory

Kitt Peak National Kitt Peak National Observatory Observatory

Cerro Tololo Inter-Cerro Tololo Inter-American ObservatoryAmerican Observatory

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A global problem that people can help solve locally…

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How to bring awareness and a desire to slow down

the increase in light pollution?

(Cinzano, Falchi, and Elvidge 2001)

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Questions to Consider How do you explain to city dwellers the importance of

what they’ve lost to artificial sky glow? How can you make them aware that light pollution is a

concern on many fronts: safety, energy conservation, cost, health and effects on wildlife, as well as our ability to view the stars?

How do you convince them that it’s worthwhile to take steps, even small ones, to help redress this issue?

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Light Pollution Educationat NOAO

Students in Grades K-12, Teachers, General Public

Both formal and informal settings GLOBE at Night Campaign Dark Skies Rangers activities

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GLOBE at Night www.globeatnight.org

• Citizen-scientists record the brightness of the night sky by matching its appearance toward the constellation Orion with star maps of progressively fainter stars.

• Measurements are submitted on-line and resulting maps of all worldwide observations are created.

• Over the last 5 annual two-week GLOBE at Night campaigns, 52,000 measurements have been contributed from over 100 countries.

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GLOBE at Night Websitewww.globeatnight.org

5 step citizen science program – simple to participate

Background information on key concepts

Interactive games Fun quizzes to check proficiency Teacher and Family Guides in 14

different languages Postcards, flyers en español también! Report page Map page with data in various formats

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Match Night Sky to a Match Night Sky to a Magnitude Chart.Magnitude Chart.

Estimate cloud coverageEstimate cloud coverage..

Fill out the observation Fill out the observation sheet.sheet.

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A more technically accurate approach:

using Sky Quality Meters

Press start button here:

Light enters here:

Read-out numbers here:

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Simple Report Form

Date and Time

Orion data

and SQM data

Location

http://www.globeatnight.org/report.html

Cloudiness

Tablet/PadCell

Phone

Desktop/Laptop

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Measurements

are downloadable as datasets in various formats

can be examined online via Google Earth or other tools

used as the basis of research in a class-room or science fair project or even to inform the development of public policy

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Dark Skies Ranger Activities

www.darkskiesawareness.org/DarkSkiesRangers/

• Explorer- Light Shielding Demo- School Outdoor Lighting Audit- Student Symposium

• Protector Turtle Hatching Activity Wildlife Activity (Insects)

• Advocate Magnitude Reader Finding Orion, Leo, etc. A Star Hunt Campaign.

Ranger (Students present results.)

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Dark Skies Education Kits(600 kits distributed)

• Materials for a light shielding demonstration

• Dark Skies Ranger activities

• Dark Skies Education & GLOBE at Night resources on CD and 2 DVDs

• Advertising materials (postcards, poster, flyers, etc)

• Children’s Book: “There Once was a Sky Full of Stars”

• Quiet Skies Activity (AM radio & fan)

• Sky Quality Meter (optional)

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Shielding Helps Minimize Light Pollution

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Types of Lamps

• Incandescent

• Fluorescent

• Light Emitting Diode (LED)

• High Intensity Discharge

Compact Fluorescent Lamp

LEDFluorescent

High Intensity Discharge

Incandescent

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Unshielded and Shielded Lighting

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The Difference Retrofitting Luminaires Can Make

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Lighting Responsibly

• Shine the light down.

• See the effect, not the source.

• Light only where and when needed.

• Don’t over light.

• Use energy efficient sources.

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Light Trespass

Sky Glow

3 Main Types of Light Pollution

Glare

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Energy, Safety & Security

Human Health Wildlife

The Effects on…

Astronomical Research

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Data Analysis

• Comparison of data over time (changes, trends)

• Comparison to data on population density

• Search for dark sky oases

• Monitor ordinance compliance

• Effects of light pollution on animals or plants

• Effects on human health

• Effects on safety, security, energy consumption, cost

Tucson, Arizona, USA

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Students Ask: How Much of the Night Sky Have We Already Lost?

5 k

m

Nort

h

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City Lighting Inventory by High Schoolers & Amateur Astronomers

1 km

N

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GLOBE at Night Data 2006-2010

2500 Orion data points

plus

500 SQM data points

for Tucson, AZ

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Contour Map of GaN Data (2006-2010)

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GLOBE at Night + Bat Telemetry Data

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Bat Telemetry Data + City Ordinance Zones

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Looking Toward the Futureby Building...

• An on-line community with Facebook and Twitter – done!

• On-line tutorials of the Dark Skies Rangers activities – half way done!

• A web application to submit GLOBE at Night data using mobile devices – help us test the app!

• More monthly campaigns – on their way!

• A user-friendly analysis tool on the GLOBE at Night website (WWT & WGBH) – a bright future!

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GLOBE at Night Needs You...

1 To take GLOBE at Night data during both campaigns.

2 To teach and encourage children and adults to take GLOBE at Night measurements.

3 To become a local coordinator that would work with people at a starparty, or in a classroom or 2 or 3... or with visitors at a local park on their participation in the GLOBE at Night campaign.

4 To do the Dark Skies Rangers activities with students to teach them about light pollution issues and lighting responsibly.

5 To use the GLOBE at Night data with other data sets.

6 To work with the IDA in preserving dark skies.

7 To do it all.

Mag

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GLOBE at Night Campaign2011

February 21 to March 6 for both Northern and Southern Hemispheres Uses Orion.

March 22 to April 4 for Northern Hemisphere Uses Leo.

March 24 to April 6 for Southern Hemisphere Uses Leo or Crux.

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Websites of interest: www.darkskiesawareness.org/

DarkSkiesRangers/

www.globeatnight.org

www.facebook.com/GLOBEatNight

twitter.com/GLOBEatNight

www.globeatnight.org/webapp

Further Information

iPhone, Android or Blackberry? 

Scan the QR Code above to go directly to the beta version of the

GLOBE at Night data submission web app.

Contact: Connie Walker

GLOBE at Night Director

1-520-318-8535 or

cwalker@noao.edu

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Sponsoring Institutions

GLOBE at Night (www.globeatnight.org) has been a collaboration between

the National Optical Astronomy Observatory (NOAO) in Tucson, AZ;

The Global Learning and Observations to Benefit the Environment (GLOBE) Program, in Boulder, CO;

the Environmental Systems Research Institute, Inc. (ESRI) in Redlands, CA;

the International Dark-Sky Association (IDA) in Tucson, AZ; and

the Centro de Apoyo a la Didactica de la Astronomia (CADIAS) in Altovalsol, Chile.

Other partners include the Astronomical Society of the Pacific, the American Astronomical Society, the Astronomical League, Astronomers Without Borders, The World At Night, and Let There Be Night,org.