August 22-23, 2008Darksky 2008 European Symposium Vienna, Austria International Year of Astronomy Cornerstone Dark Skies Awareness Some slides adapted from the International Dark-Sky Association Images courtesy of The World at Night Connie Walker National Optical Astronomy Observatory, USA

August 22-23, 2008Darksky 2008 European Symposium Vienna, Austria FROM IYA Dark Skies Awareness (DSA) TASK GROUP in EUROPE

August 22-23, 2008Darksky 2008 European Symposium Vienna, Austria European Countries Involvement in and Commitment to Dark Skies Activities

August 22-23, 2008Darksky 2008 European Symposium Vienna, Austria European Countries Involvement in and Commitment to Dark Skies Activities, continued…

August 22-23, 2008Darksky 2008 European Symposium Vienna, Austria Global IYA Cornerstone: Dark Skies Awareness 3 Star Counting programs that span 2009 Program on Quiet Skies Planetarium Program Digital Photography Traveling Exhibit Educational Toolkit PSAs (audio podcasts for radio, TV, sidewalk astronomy events) Preservation of Dark Skies Places (including observatories!)

August 22-23, 2008Darksky 2008 European Symposium Vienna, Austria Measuring Local Levels of Light Pollution Year-Round WHAT IS BETTER THAN 1 fun, fast, no-frills star hunting program inviting citizen-scientists around the world to measure the amount of light pollution in their night sky? 3 star hunting programs that cover the entire International Year of Astronomy!

August 22-23, 2008Darksky 2008 European Symposium Vienna, Austria GLOBE at Night How Many Stars? Great World Wide Star Count GLOBE at Night  Next GLOBE at Night campaign is March , 2009  Orion and Sky Quality Meters  How Many Stars?  Jan, Feb, April-Sept, Nov, Dec 2009  Little Dipper and 3 belt stars in Orion  Great World Wide Star Count  Oct Nov. 3, 2009  Cygnus and Sagittarius 

August 22-23, 2008Darksky 2008 European Symposium Vienna, Austria Earth Hour 2009 Is an energy conservation event to be held on Saturday March 28, 2009 from 8:30-9:30 pm. Dozens of cities around the world will turn off non- essential lights, conserving energy while allowing the public to see the dark skies from cities successful wave of darkness around the world

August 22-23, 2008Darksky 2008 European Symposium Vienna, Austria Quiet Skies Radio Frequency Interference, or RFI, is the radio equivalent of light pollution. RFI effectively blinds radio telescopes at certain frequencies, making it impossible to study the Universe at those frequencies. The Quiet Skies project (led by the National Radio Astronomy Observatory) introduces radio astronomy and the need for quiet skies to the public through a kit loan program to schools and museums. Participants will measure the RFI levels in their commu- nities and enter their measurements into a database. The RFI results will be graphically displayed

August 22-23, 2008Darksky 2008 European Symposium Vienna, Austria Planetarium Program A feature presentation that takes advantage of the interactive capabilities of small and portable domes to advocate dark skies and to introduce participants to star hunting programs. A folklore story on the night sky A demonstration of shielding lights Presentation of Crelin’s book, “There Once was a Sky Full of Stars”. The audience learns about a citizen-scientist star hunting program (GLOBE at Night). Saving the Night (a powerpoint) illustrates the negative effects of improper lighting on the night sky. And a lot more ancillary materials on light pollution

August 22-23, 2008Darksky 2008 European Symposium Vienna, Austria “Earth and Sky” Photo Contest Where amateur photographers combine Earth & Sky in one photo A joint program of “The World Night” (TWAN) & IYA Dark Skies Awareness GOAL: for these photos taken by the public to impress the public with the beauty and importance of dark skies and increase the public’s awareness of light pollution. Educational resources developing on the TWAN website:

August 22-23, 2008Darksky 2008 European Symposium Vienna, Austria Traveling Exhibits Traveling exhibits are a wonderful method for providing outreach and education to communities on light pollution during events such as star parties, (e.g. sidewalk astronomy), museums, science centers, libraries, zoos, etc. Traveling exhibits & vinyl posters on 4 themes are planned: 1 on outdoor lighting, 1 on effects on wildlife, 1 on effects on human health & 1 on energy conservation. The effort is being coordinated by the IDA.

August 22-23, 2008Darksky 2008 European Symposium Vienna, Austria Light Pollution Education Toolkit What difference do you note with and without the shield? Shielding Demo (in a dark room with a white tabletop) Planetarium with light inside “streetlight ” “candle mode ” shielded light

August 22-23, 2008Darksky 2008 European Symposium Vienna, Austria PSA & Podcasts Audio podcasts & a video PSA will be created to communicate the need to protect dark skies. The 365 Days of Astronomy podcasts will include shows dedicated to light pollution. From the folklore stories to the loss of dark skies, this podcast will take its listeners on 1 to 5-minute “plunges” into how the sky touches our society. Project is led in collaboration with the New Media Task Group.

August 22-23, 2008Darksky 2008 European Symposium Vienna, Austria Preservation of Dark Skies Places to facilitate the preservation and protection of the world’s natural heritage of dark night skies in places, such as urban oases, national parks and observatories to support UNESCO’s goals of preserving cultural and scientific values of historical astronomical sites for posterity. International Dark Skies Places (designated by IDA) 46&orgId=idsa UNESCO’s Astronomy and World Heritage Initiative

August 22-23, 2008Darksky 2008 European Symposium Vienna, Austria Milky Way arch over Alborz Mountains of Iran TWAN A picture is worth a thousand words. Preserve Dark Skies.

August 22-23, 2008Darksky 2008 European Symposium Vienna, Austria Thank-you for your kind attention!

August 22-23, 2008Darksky 2008 European Symposium Vienna, Austria For more information Websites of interest:    Contact: Connie Walker  (IYA Dark Skies Awareness Chair)  

August 22-23, 2008Darksky 2008 European Symposium Vienna, Austria

August 22-23, 2008Darksky 2008 European Symposium Vienna, Austria U.S. IYA Key Program: Dark Skies are a Universal Resource PROGRAMSRESOURCES GLOBE at Night (w/ Earth Hour) Education Toolkit Astronomy Nights in the (National) Parks Planetarium Show Photography Contest Social Networking via the Internet Dark Skies Discovery Sites Traveling Exhibit Quiet SkiesSix Minute Video Good Neighbor LightingPodcasting

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