Citizen Scientists

Citizen science is the practice of public participation and collaboration in scientific research to increase scientific knowledge as a citizen volunteer. Through citizen science, people share and contribute to data monitoring and collection programs such as Globe at Night.

The Citizen Scientist Toolkit includes resources to empower members of the public to collect, analyze, and share natural nighttime data.

GLOBE AT NIGHT

Globe at Night is an international citizen-science campaign to raise public awareness of the impact of light pollution by inviting citizen-scientists to measure & submit their night sky brightness observations.

NSF’s NOIRLab
Go to: Webpage

SCISTARTER: SCIENCE WE CAN DO TOGETHER

SciStarter helps bring together the millions of citizen scientists in the world; the thousands of potential projects offered by researchers, organizations, and companies; and the resources, products, and services that enable citizens to pursue and enjoy these activities.

SciStarter
Go to: Website
 

4-H DISCOVER DARK SKY CLUBS
The Discover 4-H Clubs series guides new 4-H volunteer leaders through the process of starting a 4-H club or provides a guideline for seasoned volunteer leaders to try a new project area. Search and download the 4-H Discover Dark Sky Club activity pack that outlines how to run club meetings and introduce children to the universe, astronomy, outdoor lighting, and other dark sky principles.


USU Extension
Go to: Website
 

 

LIGHTS OUT SALT LAKE PLEDGE
Over 250 songbirds migrate at night! Turning lights off can make the night skies safer for their passage. Join the Lights Out Pledge & turn off all unnecessary lights during peak bird migration times 11PM to 6AM in March-May, and August-October. Interested in having a Lights Out Talk? Request a talk for your community group.

Tracy Aviary / International Dark-Sky Association Utah Chapter  
Go to: Website

 

DARK SKY ASSESSMENT GUIDE: EVALUATION METHODS, TOOLS, & RESOURCES

This worksheet guides users through several evaluation methods which could be used for a general assessment of dark sky-friendly lighting in a community. 

Utah Community Development Office in partnership with the Colorado Plateau Dark Sky Cooperative
Go to: Guide

ASTROPHOTOGRAPHY 101

Capturing images of our night skies is beneficial for communicating the issue of light pollution. Opening our camera shutters for long periods of time allows faint light to become quite obvious. When capturing images of the night sky, you will also capture the domes of skyglow on the horizon. Learn the basics with Astrophotography 101.

Bettymaya Foott, International Dark-Sky Association Director of Public Engagement
Go to: Guide

 

TIME AND DATE
Explore the world through time and date. Look up the time and date for the local sunrise, sunset, lunar phase, and other astronomical events in your area. Travel back into history or into the future and learn about the movement of celestial bodies.
Go to: Website

 

GLOBAL RADIANCE LIGHT TRENDS
See the world at night and changes in nighttime light emissions over time (1992 - present) using this (nearly) worldwide interactive map.

Earth Observation Group / Deneb, Geoinformation Solutions
Go to: Interactive Map

HELPER, UT LIGHTING INVENTORY DASHBOARD

Struggling to visualize what a community lighting inventory looks like? Helper, UT was one of the first cities in the nation to have a thorough lighting inventory. Click the link above to interact with an ArcGIS Dashboard featuring collected data points for 487 public light fixtures.

Courtesy of Helper City and the Utah Community Development Office
Go to: Interactive Map