Counting Stars
A Citizen Science Project
Help us identify where the light pollution is in our community by doing a simple project that involves counting stars.
Participants will have a chance to win some great prizes including a Celestron Starsense Explorer 130AZ telescope!
RULES
The Counting Stars project limited to Nova Scotia residents from the municipalities of Clare, Yarmouth, & Argyle.
Ramdom names will be drawn from those who have contributed to this project.
You can enter a maximum of 3 times from different locations at least 5km apart
Invalid entires will be removed from the data that is gathered.
Prizes will be drawn March 31, 2024 online on the Starlight Festival Page
https://www.facebook.com/starlightns
WHAT TO DO
You Will Need
Counting Stars
Piece of cardboard or construction paper
Scissors
String
Tape
Ruler
Notepad
Pencil
A Dark Clear Night with no Moon . Wait at least an hour or two after sunset.
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)
TIPS: 1 hour after sunset to 1 hour before sunrise
Here are potential dates. There are additional dates, however these are the earliest in the evening.
December 3-18
January 1-16
January 29 - February 14
February 28 - March 14
March 28 - March 31Tape 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.
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 this form: