This project was designed to encourage students, families and interested citizens to record observations of the quality of their nighttime sky (including specific constellations – Cygnus in the Northern Hemisphere, Sagittarius in the Southern Hemisphere) and share that data with others via the GWWSC website. Interested individuals have the opportunity to get involved by making observations, and collecting and reporting data.

The GWWSC is a useful project for teaching about the impact of artificial lighting on local environments and in raising awareness about the ongoing loss of people’s ability to study or simply enjoy the night sky in many parts of the world. Students can explore the different light sources in their community learning the relationship between science, technology and their society, as well as investigate the economic and environmental impacts of light on a local and global scale.

Participation in GWWSC is open to anyone, anywhere, who can go outside in the early evening
and look upwards. There are five simple steps to follow:

1. Determine which constellation to observe
2. Find that constellation about an hour after sunset
3. Match the nighttime sky with one of seven magnitude charts
4. Report observations using a simple online form
5. View the results

In 2009, GWWSC (October 9-23, 2009) will participate in “Dark Skies are a Universal
Resource,” one of seven primary US themes being developed for the International Year of
Astronomy (IYA) in 2009.

Project owners + coordinators:
starcount_info@ucar.edu