¿ìè¶ÌÊÓƵ

Ìý

NEXT time you have the opportunity, take a moment to look at the night sky. What do you see? Quite possibly not very much at all. Increased light pollution globally means that the starry nights that once inspired artists such as Vincent van Gogh have become much more difficult to observe over the past century.

The is calling for volunteers to look up at the night sky and record their observations via its web app. Doing so will help researchers monitor light pollution around the world and investigate its impacts on wildlife and human health. All you need to participate is a smartphone with a night sky app downloaded and access to the .

Globe at Night runs campaigns during the 10 consecutive days of each lunar month when the moon doesn’t rise in the first half of the night. The and runs until 6 October. The target constellation to look out for will be Pegasus if you are in the northern hemisphere or Sagittarius if you are observing from the southern hemisphere.

If you would like to take part, then begin by stepping outside at least 1 hour after sunset, before the moon has risen. Then wait 10 to 20 minutes to give your eyes time to adjust to the dark. When you are ready to observe, open your night sky app and use it to find the target constellation.

To record what you see, open the Globe at Night web app. It will automatically enter the date, time and approximate location where you are, or you can enter the information manually. Next, select the star chart that looks most similar to what you see when you look in the direction of your target constellation. It helps to focus on the faintest star that you can see in the sky and find in the chart.

Before submitting your data, you will also be asked to choose an image that represents the amount of cloud cover at the time of your observation.

Research using data collected through Globe at Night isn’t just about the stars, it is also revealing how light pollution can influence animal behaviour. A study in Tuscon, Arizona, found that long-nosed bats tend to with the highest levels of light pollution, for instance. Future research aims to use Globe at Night data to investigate how light pollution is influencing plants and animals, including birds, frogs and insects, as well as to levels globally over time.

If you miss the next Globe at Night campaign, don’t worry – you can submit observations any time when there is no moon in the night sky and it is at least an hour after sunset or before sunrise. You can find out more about upcoming campaigns by visiting the Globe at Night website.

For other projects visitÌýnewscientist.com/maker.