Answers to the questions for citizen science project
- Globe at Night
- It is an international citizen-science campaign in order to raise awareness in our world about the harmful effects of light pollution, by taking observations of the light skies and finding out the brightness by using a measuring chart. Light pollution comes from unwanted artificial lighting that is often overused. This light comes from sources like boats, buildings, street lights, and fireworks. Light pollution often leads to negative impacts on our environment and wildlife such as migratory birds, pollinators, sea turtles, mammals including humans. My impression of this project is that it will help our eco system and is an affordable way for many citizens to contribute. When I went onto the Light pollution map to see how the city I live in (Coquitlam) was like, and found that the light pollution wasn’t too bad, but still not good, either.
- NASA organized this project, and they research for astronomy. They develop and fund space technologies that will help future exploration of our world and learn more things about it for the benefit our own planet.
- The role of the citizens are to go onto the Globe At Night Website, and then to submit the observations they made of their night sky. This contributes to raising awareness of light pollution.
- It monitors the night skies by using a brightness measuring chart. The data from this contributes to the map of our world that shows all of the light pollution, and we can find our own location and see how our area is like.
- The data that the citizens submit are needed for scientists to research more deeply on light pollution and the effects that they leave, so they can find solutions and ways to decrease it.
- This benefits our day-to-day lives, as light pollution leaves an impact on humans as well. This project will help us determine how light pollution is damaging our environment and to find a solution for it, which will benefit all animals, ecosystem, and energy consumption that are dying because of it. In conclusion, it will result in a healthier world.
This is a map showing the light pollution in Port Coquitlam and Coquitlam.
The globe at night website also shows the North and South constellations that can be seen during the current time. Here, we can see that the Scorpius, my star sign, can be seen from June 26, 2024.