Light Pollution survey

[Lezah]

Hi everyone,

Sorry if there is already another thread on this (looked but couldn't see one) but i saw this in the paper today, its a survery on light pollution to be carried out this week, the general public are being asked to count how many stars they can see in Orion with just their naked eye.

Details here

http://www.cpre.org.uk/campaigns/landscape/light-pollution/start-count-week-2011

[Demonperformer]

That should be interesting. And so easy for anyone to do.

[ampleamp]

Well I hope plenty people look at this site and respond.

[PortableAstronomer]

...the general public are being asked to count how many stars they can see in Orion with just their naked eye.

So they will be thinking about counting how many stars they can see, interpreted as how many TV stars (celebs) can you spot on an upcoming reality show. I hope it came with some explanations of what they're actually asking for, I mean physically getting away from the telly and lookup upwards. oooohhh, it's dark and scary out there.

I hope there will be some point to it though, I mean do the public really care if they can't see stars in the sky at night?

[Erwin Kats]

They did the same kind of project here in holland.

for dutch visitors, or people that can read dutch

http://www.sterrentellen.nl/

now lets hope that the big government and the '' bureaucracy'' will do something with it...

in that case, here in my area our local government has placed a very big skybeamer to illuminate a big tower.... my whole south view is messed.

all the imaging i do to the south is full of gradients !!!

[yoda]

I'ii be filling that in LP hear is horrible

[PortableAstronomer]

I never really understood the point of the sterrentellen exercise; it basically concluded that you can see more stars when you are further away from the cities or the masssive industrial greenhouses. The idea of the map on www.sterrentellen.nl is that the darker the colour of the star on the map, the more stars the people could see. Nice to see but it's like telling us what we already knew.

I think the ability to export lots of vegetables (by mass producing them in massive light houses, errrm I mean 'greenhouses') is more important to most people here than the needs of some astronomers particularly as I am in danger of being humilated on the TV show "help mijn man heeft een hobby" (help! my husband has a hobby).

Good luck with the UK "star count week"; I hope it raises awareness at least.

[jumpclone]

light pollution terrible here in birmingham, well where i'am anyway

[Zapp]

It has been posted on the BBC's website...

BBC News - Audio slideshow: Dark sky stargazers

[nicnac]

put my pennies worth in

[Wobbly Bob]

Done, counted 6

[magic77]

Had a clear night tonight, counted 25 from garden!!.....

[ArcturusMDS]

If any of you guys did the Orion Start Count then your data is also welcome at MyDarkSky

MyDarkSky accepts Sky Quality Meter readings and also naked eye readings and is available all year round.