Become a Citizen Scientist: Measuring Our Night Skies with Globe at Night

Have you ever wondered how many stars you can actually see from where you live and how that simple observation can contribute to real scientific research?

Credit: NOIRLab

Join Shadow the Scientists special hands-on citizen science event, either in person at the Maunakea Visitor Information Station or virtually, to participate in the Globe at Night campaign. This international project measures light pollution by collecting observations from people around the world. Together, we’ll learn how to assess the brightness of the night sky and submit our own observations to a global scientific database that helps researchers monitor changes in our nighttime environment.

While many of our sessions let you observe scientists at work, this one invites you to become part of the science! Through citizen science, anyone can contribute meaningful observations to a global dataset used by researchers studying light pollution and its effects on astronomy, wildlife, energy use, and human health.

Whether you’re under the dark skies of Maunakea or in your own backyard, your observations matter. Join us as we look up, collect data, and show that science is something everyone can do!