Loss of the Night

How many stars can you see where you live? The Loss of the Night App challenges citizen scientists to identify as many stars as they can in order to measure light pollution. The app is fun and easy to use, and helps users learn constellations as they contribute to tracking of how skyglow is changing over time.

Stargazing is a great activity for young scientists, but this ancient pastime has become increasingly difficult in growing urban areas. Help us understand light pollution, and learn about your own night sky!

You don’t need to leave the city to take part. In fact, the app is designed specifically for use in very light polluted areas.

The more stars you observe, and the more often you run the app, the more precise the data for your location will become. As the seasons change so do the stars in the sky, and since there aren’t that many very bright stars it is extremely helpful if urban users do measurements in each season.

A day after you have done an observation, you can examine your data at http://www.darkskymeter.com

Detailed instructions for Android: http://lossofthenight.blogspot.de/2014/11/a-step-by-step-guide-to-using-loss-of.html