Dark Skies Awareness - unet.univie.ac.ata0008654/ds2008/Walker_IYA2009.pdf · Dan Hillier Scotland [email protected] Nikola Bozic Serbia [email protected] Pavol Duris Slovakia [email protected]

August 22-23, 2008 Darksky 2008 European Symposium Vienna, Austria

Dark Skies Awareness

Some slides adapted from the International Dark-Sky Association Images courtesy of The World at Night

Connie Walker National Optical Astronomy Observatory, USA


THE DARK SKIES AWARENESS TASK GROUP from Europ/Asia MinorName Country Email Address AttendingGuenther Wuchterl Austria [email protected] xFriedel Pas Belgium [email protected] xRoger Ferlet France [email protected] Legue France [email protected] Haneal Germany [email protected] xMargarita Metaxa Greece [email protected] Zoltan Hungary [email protected] xRobert Hill Ireland [email protected] White Ireland [email protected] xFabio Falchi Italy [email protected] Varano ItalyAlessandra Zanazzi Italy [email protected] Romanowska Poland [email protected] xTomasz WierzchowskiPoland skype: tomasz.wierzchowski2Rosa Doran PortugalDan Hillier Scotland [email protected] Bozic Serbia [email protected] Duris Slovakia [email protected] Marin Spain [email protected] Kaneko Turkey [email protected] Baskell United Kingdom [email protected] xSteve Owens United Kingdom [email protected] x

[email protected]

[email protected]

FROM IYA Dark Skies Awareness (DSA)

TASK GROUP in EUROPE


European Countries Involvement in and Commitment to Dark Skies Activities

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COMMENTS

Austria X X XIDA, themes every 3

months; affects on wildlife

Belgium X (x) X a "Lights Out" event

Croatia (x) X X Xvarious publications,

nighttime observations;

Czech Republic (x) X X

legislaion/technology; LP measurements w/

cameras; Modeling - Visnjan Ed Ctr

England (x) X X X

IDA, BAA'S CfDS, UK is promoting DSA w/ tons of activities; regulations (UK)

Finland (x) Xwebsite to estimate limiting magnitude

France (x) X X Xeffective lighting; Assoc. Francaise d'Astronomy

Germany X (x) X X X

traveling exhibits, various publications, powerpoint,

a "Lights Out" event; effective lighting

Greece (x) (x)IDA, LP Program (for

students)

Hungary (x) X X X Xmobile exhibition, joint efforts with CIE planned


European Countries Involvement in and Commitment to Dark Skies Activities, continued…

COUNTRY GL

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COMMENTS

Ireland X X X

Italy (x) X X X X

IDA, LP Science and Technology Institute (publications too),

activities w/students

Malta (x) X

IDA, projects on LP, on World Heritage site, & with

UNAWE

Netherlands (x) X XModeling; Platform

Lichthinder

Poland (x)portal to astronomy-->

GaN, Ciemne Niebo

Portugal (x) (x)a "Lights Out" event, summer star parties

Romania (x) X

Scotland (x) X X DS Scotland's DS parks

Serbia X promoting DSA

Slovakia (x) X promoting DSA

Slovenia X IDA; regulations

Spain (x) X several regional groups

Sweden (X) X X Galileoscope

Switzerland (x) X IDA


Global IYA Cornerstone: Dark Skies Awareness

  3 Star Counting programs that span 2009

  Program on Quiet Skies

  Planetarium Program

  Digital Photography

  Traveling Exhibit

  Educational Toolkit

  PSAs (audio podcasts for radio, TV, sidewalk astronomy events)

  Preservation of Dark Skies Places (including observatories!)


Measuring Local Levels of Light Pollution Year-Round

• WHAT IS BETTER THAN 1 fun, fast, no-frills star hunting program inviting citizen-scientists around the world to measure the amount of light pollution in their night sky?

•  3 star hunting programs that cover the entire International Year of Astronomy!


GLOBE at Night How Many Stars?

Great World Wide Star Count •  GLOBE at Night - Next GLOBE at Night campaign is March 16 - 28, 2009

- Orion and Sky Quality Meters

-  http://www.globe.gov/globeatnight/   How Many Stars?

-  Jan, Feb, April-Sept, Nov, Dec 2009 -  Little Dipper and 3 belt stars in Orion

-  http://sternhell.at/   Great World Wide Star Count

- Oct. 20 - Nov. 3, 2009 - Cygnus and Sagittarius

-  http://www.windows.ucar.edu/citizen_science/starcount/


Earth Hour 2009

•  Is an energy conservation event to be held on Saturday March 28, 2009 from 8:30-9:30 pm.

• Dozens of cities around the world will turn off non-essential lights, conserving energy while allowing the public to see the dark skies from cities.

•  2008 successful wave of darkness around the world

•  www.earthhour.org


Quiet Skies

•  Radio Frequency Interference, or RFI, is the radio equivalent of light pollution.

•  RFI effectively blinds radio telescopes at certain frequencies, making it impossible to study the Universe at those frequencies.

• The Quiet Skies project (led by the National Radio Astronomy Observatory) introduces radio astronomy and the need for quiet skies to the public through a kit loan program to schools and museums.

• Participants will measure the RFI levels in their commu-nities and enter their measurements into a database.

• The RFI results will be graphically displayed


Planetarium Program

• A feature presentation that takes advantage of the interactive capabilities of small and portable domes to advocate dark skies and to introduce participants to star hunting programs.

• A folklore story on the night sky • A demonstration of shielding lights •  Presentation of Crelin’s book, “There Once was a Sky Full of

Stars”. •  The audience learns about a citizen-scientist star hunting

program (GLOBE at Night).

•  Saving the Night (a powerpoint) illustrates the negative effects of improper lighting on the night sky.

• And a lot more ancillary materials on light pollution


“Earth and Sky” Photo Contest

•  Where amateur photographers combine Earth & Sky in one photo

•  A joint program of “The World Night” (TWAN) & IYA Dark Skies Awareness

•  GOAL: for these photos taken by the public to impress the public with the beauty and importance of dark skies and increase the public’s awareness of light pollution.

•  Educational resources developing on the TWAN website: www.TWANight.org


Traveling Exhibits

•  Traveling exhibits are a wonderful method for providing outreach and education to communities on light pollution during events such as star parties, (e.g. sidewalk astronomy), museums, science centers, libraries, zoos, etc.

• Traveling exhibits & vinyl posters on 4 themes are planned: 1 on outdoor lighting, 1 on effects on wildlife, 1 on effects on human health & 1 on energy conservation.

•  The effort is being coordinated by the IDA.


What difference do you note with and without the shield?

Shielding Demo (in a dark room with a white tabletop)

Planetarium with light inside

“streetlight” “candle mode”

shielded light


PSA & Podcasts

  Audio podcasts & a video PSA will be created to communicate the need to protect dark skies.

  The 365 Days of Astronomy podcasts will include shows dedicated to light pollution.

  From the folklore stories to the loss of dark skies, this podcast will take its listeners on 1 to 5-minute “plunges” into how the sky touches our society.

  Project is led in collaboration with the New Media Task Group.


Preservation of Dark Skies Places

  to facilitate the preservation and protection of the world’s natural heritage of dark night skies in places, such as urban oases, national parks and observatories

  to support UNESCO’s goals of preserving cultural and scientific values of historical astronomical sites for posterity.

  International Dark Skies Places (designated by IDA) http://www.darksky.org/mc/page.do?sitePageId=56446&orgId=idsa

  UNESCO’s Astronomy and World Heritage Initiative http://whc.unesco.org/en/activities/19


Milky Way arch over Alborz Mountains of Iran

TWAN

A picture is worth a thousand words.

Preserve Dark Skies.


Thank-you for your kind attention!


For more information

  Websites of interest: -  www.astronomy2009.us/darkskies/ -  www.darkskiesawareness.org -  www.globe.gov/GaN/

  Contact: Connie Walker -  (IYA Dark Skies Awareness Chair) -  1-520-318-8535 -  [email protected]



U.S. IYA Key Program: Dark Skies are a

Universal Resource PROGRAMS RESOURCES

GLOBE at Night (w/ Earth Hour)

Education Toolkit

Astronomy Nights in the (National) Parks

Planetarium Show

Photography Contest Social Networking via the Internet

Dark Skies Discovery Sites

Traveling Exhibit

Quiet Skies Six Minute Video

Good Neighbor Lighting Podcasting


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Documents

Dark Skies Awareness - unet.univie.ac.ata0008654/ds2008/Walker_IYA2009.pdf · Dan Hillier Scotland [email protected] Nikola Bozic Serbia [email protected] Pavol Duris Slovakia [email protected]