Classic and Digital Versions of GLOBE at Night Thrive in 2007 (Forwarded)

Office of Public Affairs and Educational Outreach
National Optical Astronomy Observatory
Tucson, Arizona

For More Information: Douglas Isbell
Phone: (520) 318-8214

EMBARGOED UNTIL 9:20 a.m. Hawaiian Standard Time: Monday, May 28, 2007

RELEASE NO: NOAO 07-07

Classic and Digital Versions of GLOBE at Night Thrive in 2007

The GLOBE at Night 2007 citizen-science campaign generated nearly double the
number of measurements of the world's dark (and not so dark) skies compared
to its first year. The program also successfully demonstrated a prototype
digital data-collection effort that aims to grow to a global scale by 2009
during the International Year of Astronomy.

GLOBE at Night 2007 was done in two modes: the "classic" GLOBE at Night
exercise that started in 2006, which anyone can have fun doing with their
unaided eyes, and a new effort led by educational outreach staff of the
National Optical Astronomy Observatory (NOAO) to obtain precise measurements
of urban dark skies using digital sky-brightness meters.

The classic campaign produced 8,491 unique measurements from 60 countries
during the March 8-21, 2007 observing period, an increase of 85% over the
4,591 measurements reported by more than 18,000 citizen-scientists in March
2006. The 2007 measurements came from all 50 states except North Dakota.
About 65 percent of the 2007 measurements (5,512) were from the United
States. Observers from 96 countries reported measurements in 2006 -- this
number was reduced to 60 in 2007 by more strict requirements that nations
must be approved participants in the other programs run by the GLOBE
organization, which affected at least 29 countries.

These results were released today in Honolulu, Hawaii, at the 210th meeting
of the American Astronomical Society.

"We are extremely pleased at the outcome of GLOBE at Night in 2007," said
Stephen Pompea, an astronomer and manager of science education at NOAO. "The
classic version is clearly gaining momentum. The digital mode, using
sky-brightness meters procured and distributed with special funding support
from the National Science Foundation, came together just in time and the
early results from this prototype project show great promise."

The digital data from handheld sky-brightness meters represents "the start
of a baseline of measurements that can be used to track changes over time,
to compare as 'ground truth' with satellite measurements of dark skies, and
to search for safe urban 'dark-sky oases' that can be preserved," Pompea
added.

Detailed review of the classic data is still underway at GLOBE at Night
partner institutions. Initial analysis by NOAO staff of the data from 135
sky-quality meters that were distributed shows that at least 820
measurements were reported, either to the GLOBE Web site or in spreadsheets
sent directly to the national observatory. Several dozen measurements may
yet be unreported, according to Connie Walker, an astronomer and senior
science education specialist at NOAO, and lead coordinator of GLOBE at
Night.

Initial maps have been developed of Tucson (184 data points); the
Washington, DC and Richmond, VA, region (141 data points); Sonora, Mexico;
the island of Hawai'i; and Las Vegas. The Boston area, the state of New
Jersey, and Chile also contributed significant data sets, while smaller data
sets from individuals in England and South Africa have been received or are
anticipated.

"These initial maps are only a first look, but the data shows signs of good
consistency and a gradient of bright-to-dark measurements as one moves from
the city center to outlying areas, as one would generally expect," Walker
said. "We also saw evidence of people using the meters in creative ways,
from students taking dozens of measurements at one site and then averaging
them, to 'mobile units' created by people driving around and taking data
through their car's moon roof!"

Some sample city maps are available at
http://www.noao.edu/outreach/press/p...07.html#images

The level of international interest in GLOBE at Night, and similar programs
in other countries, has prompted it to become one of the central themes of
the planned International Year of Astronomy in 2009," said Douglas Isbell,
associate director for public affairs and educational outreach at NOAO, and
co-chair of the U.S. program committee for IYA 2009. "Both the
international-level organization fostered by IAU and the U.S. program
committee for IYA 2009 have now formed specific working groups intended to
intensify the global effort," Isbell said.

The GLOBE at Night program is designed to aid teaching about the impact of
artificial lighting on local environments, and the ongoing loss of a dark
night sky as a natural resource for much of the world's population. The
level and quality of artificial lighting around the world has effects on
energy use, public safety, human and animal health, and the ability of the
general public and astronomers to share in the beauty of the night sky.

The classic GLOBE at Night program directs students, families, and the
general public how to observe and record the number of stars visible in the
constellation Orion, as seen from different locations. Observers report
their results online by comparing their view of Orion with a set of template
images on the program's Web site, which show the number of stars in the
constellation for a range of visibilities from bright skies to very dark.

NOAO received funding from the National Science Foundation in February to
purchase the Unihedron meters and related materials to share with educators
in Arizona, California, Hawaii, Massachusetts, New Mexico, Nevada, New
Jersey, Virginia, 19 small science centers, and the country of Chile, where
NOAO has a major observatory. A coordinator at each site instructed local
educators in the proper use of the meters and developed a plan to share them
during the 13-day, Moon-less observing window

For more information on GLOBE, an exemplary education and science program
funded by NASA and the National Science Foundation, see the program's Web
page or visit the GLOBE at Night Web site.

For more information on the Unihedron sky-quality meters, see
http://unihedron.com/projects/darksky/.

GLOBE at Night is a collaboration between The Global Learning and
Observations to Benefit the Environment (GLOBE) Program, Boulder, CO; the
National Optical Astronomy Observatory (NOAO) in Tucson, AZ; Centro de Apoyo
a la Didactica de la Astronomia (CADIAS) in Chile; Windows to the
Universe/UCAR; Environmental Systems Research Institute, Inc. (ESRI); and
the International Dark-Sky Association (IDA).

The National Optical Astronomy Observatory (NOAO) consists of Kitt Peak
National Observatory near Tucson, AZ; Cerro Tololo Inter-American
Observatory near La Serena, Chile; and, the NOAO Gemini Science Center, the
route for U.S. astronomers to observe with the Gemini North telescope in
Hawaii and the Gemini South telescope in Chile. NOAO is operated by the
Association of Universities for Research in Astronomy (AURA), under a
cooperative agreement with the National Science Foundation.