clipped from: www.sciam.com   

The Great Worldwide Star Count


Help scientists measure light pollution around the world by participating in the Great Worldwide Star Count. Cynthia Graber reports


The astronomers want to remind us all to take a moment to appreciate the beauty and wonder of the night sky. Information about how to participate can be found at the Great Worldwide Star Count website: www.snipurl.com/starcount

We humans have always pondered the heavens. Astronomy and physics have come out of our wonder at the points of light in the darkness. Scientists now want to take advantage of that natural nightly gaze. They’re turning to citizen scientists to count stars as a way to measure light pollution.

The project will take place from October 20th to November 3. It’s sponsored by the University Corporation for Atmospheric Research. Interested volunteers in the northern hemisphere will search for the constellation Cygnus. In the southern hemisphere they’ll be looking for Sagittarius.