Cap The Light Save The Night
One of the biggest challenges we face when observing the night sky is finding a place free of light pollution. South-West Nova Scotia has great skies for stargazing with minimal light pollution, however we all must do our part in order to protect this precious natural resource.
The following are materials that you can use to help educate your friends, family, & the general public on how to protect our night skies. Feel free to copy and distribute freely.
Click photo to download simple light fixture shield (PDF)
Click photo to download the back of the brochure.
Click photo to download the front of the brochure.
Click Photo to Download Poster
Counting Stars Project
Help us identify where the light pollution is in our community by doing a simple project that involves counting stars.
You could win a telescope! (Details soon)
You Will Need
Ruler
Notepad
Pencil
A Dark Clear Night with no Moon . Wait at least an hour or two after sunset.
Piece of cardboard or construction paper
Scissors
String
Tape
Step 1
Create a picture frame
Build a picture frame and attach a string to it using tape. It is important to use the measurements in this photo.
Step 2
Go outside when it is totally dark (when the Moon is NOT visible)
Tape one end of the string to your shoulder
Hold the frame in front of you so the string is tight
Look through the frame at the stars. The frame size divides the sky into 40 pieces.
Hold the frame steady and count the stars you see inside it.
Move the frame to different part of the sky and count the stars. Do this 5 times and record your findings.
Add up the numbers and divide by 5. This gives you an average.
Multiply by 40 and you get an estimate of the number of stars you can see in your sky.Also count how many lights you can see from your yard and around you and record it on your worksheet
Return to this website and log your findings in Step 3.
Step 3
Log your findings in the form below.