Seasons and Light

CYFERnet continues the “It’s a Mystery” exploration and looks at light pollution with the GLOBE at Night project. 

It’s a Mystery!

The world turns; the sun rises. It's different every day but with a rhythm and based on science that has intrigued humans since the dawn of time. January through May, we encourage you to explore the mysteries of time, light, and season. Register online to join in the official Mystery competition (which involves locating 10 “mystery sites” based on the time the sun rises/sets and other clues). As part of the Mystery competition, try one or both of the following activities:

• Time Enough
  A look at the sunrise, sunset, and daylight times in your community. Print out the data sheet to record daylight times.
• GLOBE at Night
  This national science project looks at how the brightness of outdoor lights affects the brightness of the stars (the brighter the artificial lights, the dimmer the stars appear and the fewer we can see). Each March, people across the country stand in their backyards to collect data on the brightness of stars and light pollution. Once the data is combined, we can see differences across the country and from year to year. Before you get started, be sure to skim our GLOBE at Night Activity Guide.