JOIN THE GLOBAL STAR PARTY:

Next week a "Global star party" sponsored by the Globe at Night website kicks off. Running from March 8th to March 21, this is an attempt at assessing global 'light pollution'. Last year over 90,000 people in 96 countries participated. Basically you will be asked to go outside and observe the constellation Orion- pictured to the left (More on Orion in a future Molly's Blog)- and judge the magnitude of the stars in that group with a scale provided by the Globe at Night site. Various communities across the world are trying to do something about the light pollution that dims the view of the night sky for their residents. The measures are almost always energy conservation measures as well. To learn more about these efforts go to the International Dark Sky Association site. Do your part to help build an assessment of how much you are being deprived of the view that is your birthright.

Molly