ThE StOry of the STARS
A 5th Grade Discovery!
A 5th Grade Discovery!
Just
Imagine...
You
go outside one night all ready to look up
at a
star-filled sky.
Your evening will be spent lying on a comfy blanket, munching on some
snacks, and just enjoying the twinkling lights. You begin your
star-gazing adventure when suddenly, you are blinded by the light - and
not the light from the stars! As you look up at the sky, the only
twinkling lights visible are those from the surrounding cities.
You realize that the cars, airplanes, and various other man-made
lighting devices have taken away from the dark sky that is best for
viewing our galaxy.
This may seem like a frightening thought, but it's true and it's happening virtually everywhere these days. These artificial lights are commonly referred to as "light pollution" by our astronomers. They decrease our visibility, and add unnecessary lights to the night sky, which ultimately prevent us from seeing the stars. Astronomers have become rather frightened by the increasing light pollution over the past few years, and are working on logical solutions in hopes of solving the problem and conserving our dark, night sky. Do you think you can help??
Your Challenge...
You have been called in as an expert by a team of researchers and astronomers! You have been given the challenge of developing a plan to decrease the amount of light pollution given off by your school.
Begin Your Journey...
Researching can be a long process, but using the websites provided, you know just where to begin!
Learn more about light pollution and some solutions by visiting these websites:
Blinded By the Light
International Dark Sky Association (IDA)
NASA Earth Observatory
The Fading Milky Way
NASA Goddard Space Flight Center
Green Earth Lighting
Do some research of your own! Visit these websites to get started:
NASA
Awsome Library
Yahooligans!
This may seem like a frightening thought, but it's true and it's happening virtually everywhere these days. These artificial lights are commonly referred to as "light pollution" by our astronomers. They decrease our visibility, and add unnecessary lights to the night sky, which ultimately prevent us from seeing the stars. Astronomers have become rather frightened by the increasing light pollution over the past few years, and are working on logical solutions in hopes of solving the problem and conserving our dark, night sky. Do you think you can help??
Your Challenge...
You have been called in as an expert by a team of researchers and astronomers! You have been given the challenge of developing a plan to decrease the amount of light pollution given off by your school.
- Use the research links provided below to find out more about light pollution. Where does it come from? What causes it? Etc...
- Using some of the suggested solutions, brainstorm ways that you school may contribute to light pollution
- Come up with different ways that your school can change and help to conserve the night sky
- Design a presentation that you would present to the school board about your research and suggested solutions to the problem. You can write a letter, draw a diagram, even design a PowerPoint presentation - it's you choice! Be sure to state the problem and propose at least 3-4 solutions and/or actions that your school can take!
Begin Your Journey...
Researching can be a long process, but using the websites provided, you know just where to begin!
Learn more about light pollution and some solutions by visiting these websites:
Blinded By the Light
International Dark Sky Association (IDA)
NASA Earth Observatory
The Fading Milky Way
NASA Goddard Space Flight Center
Green Earth Lighting
Do some research of your own! Visit these websites to get started:
NASA
Awsome Library
Yahooligans!
Now
go blast off into space!
Good Luck!
Good Luck!
Image Resource Pages:
- Yahoo.com>Images
- Google.com>Images