April 2014
Globe at Night Newsletter
We’ve received almost 10,000 Globe at Night submissions so far this year!
April is also Global Astronomy Month. Check out their website for an events list and ways to get involved in your area. April 20-26 is International Dark Skies Week (IDSW). A key way to participate in IDSW is by participating in Globe at Night! See the IDA’s website for more information about IDSW.
Topics in this month’s newsletter:
Upcoming 2014 Campaign Dates
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Northern Hemisphere |
Southern Hemisphere |
Globe at Night Spotlight
This month, we’d like to highlight the amazing number of data points that Croatia (1255), Chile (1069) and Poland (987) have contributed to the Globe at Night campaign. They are the leading countries (besides the USA). Most of the measurements (1192) in Croatia were from one city, the city of Zagreb! In Chile, most of the measurements came from Santiago, Concepcion and Talca. In Poland, more than half of the measurements were taken by dedicated high school students in a wonderful program called Astrobaza. Way to go, Croatia, Chile and Poland! (Click the maps to open an interactive regional map.)
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Flashmob for Science
Ever wanted to be a part of a flashmob? A Flashmob for Science is an event in which a large group of people comes together at the same place at the same time to perform citizen science observations, like Globe at Night. See the website for more information about it! This is a great event to host during Global Astronomy Month, especially during IDSW! We would love to see pictures from your Flashmob for Science. Your event could be featured in next month’s newsletter!
Dark Skies Awareness Blog
Looking to gain more insight into light pollution problems and methods to preserve our dark skies? Check out the Dark Skies Awareness Blog that will be going on during all of Global Astronomy Month!
Also on the blog, you’ll find information about this year’s Southern Arizona Research, Science and Engineering Fair (SARSEF) first place winner! Ty Swann, a 5th grader from Canyon View Elementary School in Tucson, Arizona, studied how light pollution affects birds! Check out the blog post, and congratulations Ty!
Adopt-a-Street
Looking for an easy way to participate in Global Astronomy Month and Globe at Night? You can adopt-a-street in your town and take Globe at Night measurements every mile or kilometer for the length of the street! See the Adopt-a-Street webpage for more information!
Earth and Sky Photo Contest
Are you a photography enthusiast? Have a great shot of the nighttime sky? Enter the 2014 Earth and Sky Photo Contest! This year’s theme is “Dark Skies Importance”. There are two categories: “Beauty of the Night Sky” and “Against the Lights”. You can submit your photos until April 22, 2014! Check out the website for more information.
Dark Skies and AstroArts Google+ Hangout
On April 30, we will host a Google+ Hangout on Dark Skies and AstroArts beginning at 22:00 UT (6:00 pm EST or 3:00 PST for the USA). You can log in from anywhere to take part in a discussion about light pollution with scientists and artists. See the webpage for more information.
Teacher Workshops
In March, we held a workshop in Tucson to instruct teachers of all grades on how to incorporate our Dark Skies and Energy Education (DSEE) kits and Globe at Night into their classrooms. We will be holding a DSEE workshop for 5th-12th grade teachers, if you are interested and in the Tucson area. This workshop will be on June 9-11, 2014. We also held a teacher workshop at the most recent U.S. National Science Teachers Association meeting in April in Boston, and we will hold another at the American Astronomical Society meeting in Boston on June 1st. If you have ideas or comments on how to incorporate dark skies education into the classroom, or if you have given teacher workshops on Globe at Night or the Dark Skies and Energy Education Program, we would love to hear from you!
