Here is the link to the download page for Globe at Night information in other languages.
The webapp is currently available in:
Thursday, March 12, 2015
Globe at Night auf Deutsch
Der "Globe at Night" Projekt hat leider keine Deutsche Website, der es gibt ein Deutsche Version von der webapp. Es gibt auch Infos für Lehrer/in und Familien die mitmachen wollen, hier zum Beispiel für Orion. Für andere Sternbilder, klicken sie hier. Der Deutsches GeoForschungsZentrum (GFZ) hat auch Infos über die internationale Nacht der Himmelsbeobachtung veröffentlicht.
Wir danken für Ihre helfe die Veränderung unser Nachthimmels zu beobachten!
Wir danken für Ihre helfe die Veränderung unser Nachthimmels zu beobachten!
Thursday, March 5, 2015
The Globe at Night revisit project (2015)
The goal of the Loss of the Night app is to track how skyglow is changing worldwide. But since it was only released in 2013, it will be a while before we'll really be able to see the changes. But the Globe at Night program is already in its tenth year, so the time series is already relatively well developed.
The best place to make a skyglow observation is someplace very close to your home, so that you can observe there again in the future. But if you are willing to travel a kilometer or two in order to help us track how is changing, you could help us out by making an observation near the same place one was made in the past.
The map above shows 5,000 locations on Earth where someone made an observation in the past but there hasn't been a new observation within the last five years. If you can make an observation near to one of these points (or if you have a friend who lives close to one of them), it would be extremely helpful.
You don't need to go to the exact point shown (in fact, I shifted the points by some distance to preserve anonymity). An observation within about 100 meters is close enough.
Update January 6, 2015: During last year's Globe at Night campaign, 24 of these locations were re-sampled. Big thanks to those who took part! The relatively small number means that the revised map for 2016 looks very similar to this map, so I will just leave this one up for now and will probably revisit this idea next year. In any case, with the new My Sky at Night webpage you can generate maps for your own city, which will make it easier to find a location closer to where you live.
The best place to make a skyglow observation is someplace very close to your home, so that you can observe there again in the future. But if you are willing to travel a kilometer or two in order to help us track how is changing, you could help us out by making an observation near the same place one was made in the past.
The map above shows 5,000 locations on Earth where someone made an observation in the past but there hasn't been a new observation within the last five years. If you can make an observation near to one of these points (or if you have a friend who lives close to one of them), it would be extremely helpful.
You don't need to go to the exact point shown (in fact, I shifted the points by some distance to preserve anonymity). An observation within about 100 meters is close enough.
Update January 6, 2015: During last year's Globe at Night campaign, 24 of these locations were re-sampled. Big thanks to those who took part! The relatively small number means that the revised map for 2016 looks very similar to this map, so I will just leave this one up for now and will probably revisit this idea next year. In any case, with the new My Sky at Night webpage you can generate maps for your own city, which will make it easier to find a location closer to where you live.
Wednesday, February 18, 2015
Flashmob for Science in Berlin on March 14
On March 14 (Pi day) together with Clear Sky Blog we will host a "Flashmob for Science" event in Park am Gleisdreieck. You can register (and let your friends know about it) on Facebook, and you can read more about the event (in German) on this Clear Sky Blog post or from Wissenschaft im Dialog.
The idea behind our Flashmob for Science events is to understand how much variation there is between observations from different users. Everyone has slightly different eyesight, different phone displays, and a different threshold for what counts as "seeing" a star. On top of that, the order of the stars we suggest and accidental mis-identifications can affect the result (which is why viewing more than the minimum 8 stars is a good idea!). These differences aren't a problem for the science, as long as we understand how large the variation due to them is.
Our first-ever Flashmob for Science in 2012 was a relatively small affair. This time we're aiming for a much larger event. The more participants we have, the better our understanding of these variations will be! So please come and join us in Berlin on March 14!
Note: When deciding whether a star is "visible" or not, the best technique is to say it's not visible unless you can always or nearly always see it with direct vision. If it only occasionally twinkles into view, say it's invisible or that you can only see it with averted vision.
The idea behind our Flashmob for Science events is to understand how much variation there is between observations from different users. Everyone has slightly different eyesight, different phone displays, and a different threshold for what counts as "seeing" a star. On top of that, the order of the stars we suggest and accidental mis-identifications can affect the result (which is why viewing more than the minimum 8 stars is a good idea!). These differences aren't a problem for the science, as long as we understand how large the variation due to them is.
Our first-ever Flashmob for Science in 2012 was a relatively small affair. This time we're aiming for a much larger event. The more participants we have, the better our understanding of these variations will be! So please come and join us in Berlin on March 14!
Note: When deciding whether a star is "visible" or not, the best technique is to say it's not visible unless you can always or nearly always see it with direct vision. If it only occasionally twinkles into view, say it's invisible or that you can only see it with averted vision.
Thursday, February 12, 2015
Tweeted summary of our new paper about skyglow
We published a paper about skyglow today, in which researchers from 12 countries continuously measured the night sky brightness during the summers of 2011 and 2012. The paper is open access, so you can read it for free here!
Here are the highlights:
Here are the highlights:
At 7 of the sites in our new #LightPollution study, the sky was always at least 10 times brighter than a starlit sky: http://t.co/t7247Qb7sr
— Christopher Kyba (@skyglowberlin) February 12, 2015At 30 of the sites, the sky was at least twice as bright as a starlit sky at least 95% of the time: http://t.co/t7247Qb7sr
— Christopher Kyba (@skyglowberlin) February 12, 2015The relationship between typical brightness of overcast and clear skies changes at city limits http://t.co/t7247Qb7sr pic.twitter.com/xy9iUIazsx
— Christopher Kyba (@skyglowberlin) February 12, 2015Here we compare the sky brightness as the moon rises over Berlin and IDSR Westhavelland. In Berlin, the sky darkens! pic.twitter.com/g82CQ59afi
— Christopher Kyba (@skyglowberlin) February 12, 2015@skyglowberlin This is because the city gets darker as the night goes on, and Berlin's glow is so much brighter than the glow from the moon.
— Christopher Kyba (@skyglowberlin) February 12, 2015Here we compare the entire moon-free data set for 2 sites in 1 plot. NSU is how bright it is compared to a starry sky pic.twitter.com/0adxUvWl61
— Christopher Kyba (@skyglowberlin) February 12, 2015The top plot is Kitt Peak in Arizona, the bottom is near the center of Berlin.
— Christopher Kyba (@skyglowberlin) February 12, 2015In areas without artificial light, overcast nights are WAY brighter when the moon is up (1/2) http://t.co/t7247Qb7sr pic.twitter.com/MZFgAk1nsB
— Christopher Kyba (@skyglowberlin) February 12, 2015In contrast, in areas with a lot of light pollution, the moon's effect on overcast nights is almost absent (2/2) pic.twitter.com/ePxDixPbdm
— Christopher Kyba (@skyglowberlin) February 12, 2015You can read the whole article for free! It's published #openaccess at @SciReports: http://t.co/t7247Qb7sr
— Christopher Kyba (@skyglowberlin) February 12, 2015Wednesday, January 14, 2015
Brief introduction to the Loss of the Night app project
The Loss of the Night app allows citizen scientists to estimate how many stars they can see, and by extension how bright the night sky is. The goal of the project is to track changes in artificial sky brightness in urban areas over the long term (ideally many decades). The app is available for Android and iOS devices. Detailed instructions for using the app are available (Android, iOS).
The day after you've made an observation, you view the details of your observation at the My Sky at Night website. You can also use My Sky at Night to track how skyglow is changing at your location over time.
This blog posts news about the app, and is intended to allow the app users to provide feedback on how we can improve the app in the future. For example, check out this example of one participant's observations. I also do post occasionally about other topics related to artificial light at night, for example this ongoing photo series of examples of good and bad lighting, and views of the night sky.
The Loss of the Night app project is operated in co-operation with the Globe at Night project.
The day after you've made an observation, you view the details of your observation at the My Sky at Night website. You can also use My Sky at Night to track how skyglow is changing at your location over time.
This blog posts news about the app, and is intended to allow the app users to provide feedback on how we can improve the app in the future. For example, check out this example of one participant's observations. I also do post occasionally about other topics related to artificial light at night, for example this ongoing photo series of examples of good and bad lighting, and views of the night sky.
The Loss of the Night app project is operated in co-operation with the Globe at Night project.
Sunday, January 4, 2015
Top 5 posts of 2014
Here's a look back at the five most read posts from 2014:
5) New version of the Loss of the Night app - our official announcement of the release of the iOS version and the upgraded android version.
4) Lunar eclipse viewed from space - what North America looked like to a nighttime observing satellite on October 8.
3) Astrophysicist denied entry into the USA - the crazy, unfortunate story of a friend of mine. Luckily, she was eventually allowed in.
2) How to find pictures of cities at night - lots has changed since I wrote this post, I need to update it, especially to include a link to this amazing site.
1) The promise and peril of LED lighting - a post I wrote on the day the nobel prize was awarded for blue LEDs.
Thanks to everyone for reading!
5) New version of the Loss of the Night app - our official announcement of the release of the iOS version and the upgraded android version.
4) Lunar eclipse viewed from space - what North America looked like to a nighttime observing satellite on October 8.
3) Astrophysicist denied entry into the USA - the crazy, unfortunate story of a friend of mine. Luckily, she was eventually allowed in.
2) How to find pictures of cities at night - lots has changed since I wrote this post, I need to update it, especially to include a link to this amazing site.
1) The promise and peril of LED lighting - a post I wrote on the day the nobel prize was awarded for blue LEDs.
Thanks to everyone for reading!
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