“What do we lose when we lose the night?” “You could think of our era as the one in which stars disappeared from the sky and reappeared in our city skylines.”
“Though we might love the light, we might also need the dark.”
If we didn’t have a good view of a dark sky, we wouldn’t know we lived in a galaxy like the Milky Way.” “It’s only been in the last 120 years where the masses of people now have had their dark period dramatically eroded by
the used of electric lighting.”
We have lived under the stars for the vast majority of our experience . . . This is the mystery that we were all born into.”
“You could live your life at home never looking up. Do you know what’ll happen? You’ll start thinking of your own
environment as all there is. And if that’s how you think about where you are, then it rises to an artificial level of
importance.”
“When you look at the night sky, you realize how small we are within the cosmos. It’s kind of a resetting of your ego.”
“We can trace the development of our inquiry into the universe to the ability to look up to the sky, to see things that you
don’t understand. Every civilization that we know about built a science around explaining the sky that was above them
that they saw at night.”
The quotes above are all from the film, The City Dark, that we watched in class. The film
describes urban living as “living in a bubble” of light that obscures our view of the night
sky, with myriad implications. During the summer, we have a little more flexibility to
break out of the bubble by getting out of town or just having more flexibility in our
schedule to star gaze in the city. Yes, even with all of the light, there is still quite a lot one
can see in the city, if you can devote a little time and energy to it.
This assignment is very elastic, meaning that you can take it as far as you would like to go
with it The minimum requirements are outlined below. As I mentioned in class, the big
goal is for you to get acquainted enough with the sky to claim it as your own.
In brief, your mission is to to better acquaint yourself with the sky through stargazing and
journal about it, read a book, from a list of books somehow related to viewing the sky, and
then write a short essay linking your experience with the book you read. An optional, but
fun and interesting project that I encourage you to do, if you are able, is to participate in
The Globe at Night international citizen-science campaign (http://www.globeatnight.org).
STAR (AND MOON!) GAZING!
Though constellations were first created by ancient star gazers, modern scientists still use
them to navigate the sky, so it really helps to recognize and find your way in the sky with
them. Your mission is to learn at least six constellations so that you can reliably find them
in the sky. Most people know the Big Dipper, which is not actually a constellation. It is
an asterism (look up the definition if you do not know what this means) that is part of the
constellation Ursa Major. So, include Ursa Major and Ursa Minor in your minimum list of
constellations, in addition to Hercules. Hercules is required because finding it is needed
for participation in The Globe at Night for skywatchers in the northern hemisphere in the
summer months. Locate reliably at least three more constellations of your choice. It is
fun! The more the merrier. It can be rather addictive. (For Tiago, in the southern
hemisphere, Scorpius is the required constellation and you can choose the other five.)
Observe the moon. Note it’s phase and position. You might need to research just what
this means. Look for satellites. Do you see any planets? You might need to do a little
research to find out what planets might be out when you are viewing. Do a at least seven
observations, ideally for nice a span of time so that you are out long enough to see how
much everything moves in the sky. Try to find some shooting stars during the Perseid
meteror showers. They are called the Perseids because you can view them in the sky in
the area of the constellation Perseus. They start in late July and peak on the nights of
August 11th and 12th. Treat them like fireworks. Kick back, relax and enjoy the show. They are best viewed in areas darker than the city, but I have seen a few in the city.
To help you find your way in the sky, there are myriad books and apps that can help you. You might already have some in your home, but you could find many in your local library.
The Globe at Night link (http://www.globeatnight.org) details a good way to find Hercules. I have several books, have tried several apps and used various planispheres, but the source
that I find to be the most effective and fun is The Stars: A New Way to See Them by H. A.
Rey of Curious George fame. It is in the library system but this is a book I urge you to get. You and your family will have much fun with it. The short chapters are really clear and
helpful, but the drawings really help. What I find the most helpful is to look closely at the
star charts during the day to prepare for the night. At night, if you use a flashlight, cover
the light with red transparent plastic or paper so that your night vision is not disturbed.
For inspiration, the amateur astronomers in NYC are super knowledgable and inspirational
and they host fun, free star gazing events. Here are some links to their work.
http://www.aaa.org
http://www.moonbeam.net/InwoodAstronomy/index.shtml
JOURNAL
Record your minimum of seven stargazing adventures. Include the date, time, a written
description of what you saw and a sketch of what the sky looked like, including the
direction you were facing and indicating the constellations you found, the moon, any
planets and anything else of note. For each day, include at least one question that
emerged from your stargazing. Turn your journal in on the first day of school and be ready
to share your experience in class.
READ
The following list includes a range of books that describe an experience of viewing the sky
for you to read and compare to your own experience. Whether fiction or non-fiction,
each book tells a compelling story. Look them up and see which one you would like to
read. (You can read more than one if you like. They are all very different but quite
compatible.) Be ready to discuss your book upon our return to school.
Every Soul a Star Wendy Mass
Jepp, Who Defied the Stars by Katherine Marsh
The Sky is Not the Limit: Adventures of an Urban Astronomer by Neil Degrasse Tyson
Miss Leavitt’s Stars: The Untold Story of the Woman Who Discovered How to Measure the
Universe by George Johnson
The End of Night: Searching for Natural Darkness in an Age of Artificial Light Paul Bogard
Seeing in the Dark: How Amateur Astronomers are Discovering the Universe Timothy
Ferris
There is a recently premiered play about Henrietta Leavitt entitled Silent Sky written by
Lauren Gunderson. I can’t access a script but maybe one of you could, if you really want
to read it. It sounds like it might have some possibilities.
WRITE
Response Essay: My Night Sky
After completing the field assignment and reading your book selection, you are asked to
write a personal essay no less than 2.5 pages and no more than 3 pages (12 point font,
Times New Roman, double spaced, 1” margins) on your experience looking at the night
sky.
A personal essay should be just that — personal! Let your own interests, experiences,
personality, and ideas shine. It is okay to use the first person (“I” or “we) in this kind of
essay, but write in full sentences with your best grammar and spelling. It is personal, but
not private. Expect that this essay will be shared with the class. Your essay should
communicate something about your night sky.
A good essay will focus on a small handful of points (3-5) that all connect to what you are
trying to say about your experience with the stars.
In your essay, you must spend at least one paragraph discussing how your experiences
and new ideas about the stars relate to the book you read. Include at least one quote from
the book and explain why it means something to you. You may refer to your book
throughout the essay if you choose.
In addition to the book you read, you may want to write about some (not all) of the
following questions:
-What do I see when I look into the night sky?
-What kind of feelings do I have when watching the stars?
-How did keeping my star journal change the way I think about the stars?
-How did keeping my star journal change the way I think about myself?
-What about the night sky inspired stories, myths, and poetry in so many cultures
throughout history?
-Do any of these stories still mean something to me today?
-What new stories do I think of when thinking about the stars and the night sky?
-How is my experience with the stars different from people who lived 1000 years
ago or more?
-What earlier experiences of star-gazing stand out in my memory?
-How would our lives be different if we could never see the stars?
-How would our lives be different if we could always see the stars without any light
pollution or artificial light?
-How would I describe the night sky, the moon, and stars to someone who could
not see them?
These are meant to get you thinking, not as an outline for your essay. Again: do not
address all of these questions! Be selective. Remember, you need to tell your story in no
more than 3 pages, and it is better to dig deeper into a few questions than to give onesentence answers to all of them.
Your essay is due the first day of school.
Stargazing in the New York City
E.R. Walter
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A Beginner’s Quick-And-Easy Guide to
Stargazing in the City
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The First Simple Steps
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By E.R. Walter
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Stargazing in the New York City
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E.R. Walter
Introduction:
In the summer of 2014, my science teacher gave us the
assignment of going stargazing and keeping a journal of our findings. At
first I was really irritated that I had to go stargazing “so many times”.
Also, how was I supposed to go stargazing in the dark sky of New York
City?
After reading a book called The Stars: A New Way to See Them by
H.A. Rey (the famous author of Curious George), given to me by my
science teacher, my eyes were opened to the problems of looking for
stars in the city. The main issue was easy to pinpoint: light pollution.
Because our city is filled to the brim with blaring lights everywhere, the
light of the stars is blotted out: shielding them from our view. However
my problem still remained.
This book will guide you through the solutions and strategies I
used when doing my project. Please enjoy!
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- E.R. Walter
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Contents:
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Where to Go…? ……………………………………………… Page 3
Materials and Such …………………………….…….….…. Page 3 - 4
How to Dress Prepared ….…………….…….….….……… Page 4 - 5
Easy-To-Spot Celestial Bodies …….…..….….….…….…. Page
Final Word ….….……………………………………………. Page
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Stargazing in the New York City
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E.R. Walter
Where to Go…?
The really difficult thing about New York City, or really any city
with light pollution or tall, crowded buildings, is that there is often
times a giant building in your way. Also, because of the light pollution,
you most likely won’t be able to see any complete constellations. This is
why when stargazing in the city you need to have your own telescope, or
go somewhere where there are some. A great organization to hook up
with is the Amateur Astronomers Association (or AAA). They always
have events at the High Line, the Brooklyn Bridge, and sometimes
Staten Island. My family and I went to several of their events for my
project. The members that bring their telescopes out know where tons of
stars are and point their telescopes on them so you can actually see
them. (If you plan on going a little outside the City, you can look up
observatories and see if any parks are holding events.)
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Materials and Such
Whenever you go stargazing, there are certain items you should
always bring with you. Here are some very simple things that you will
need just to get started.
1. First of all, you need a clear sky. If it is overcast, you won’t be able
to see anything. (The AAA may cancel an event if it is too cloudy or
if it’s raining.)
2. You are going to need a telescope or know someone who has one.
They are really great and they are one of the only ways to see
certain stars in the City’s dark sky.
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Stargazing in the New York City
E.R. Walter
3. A Metro card, a car, or cash/credit card. It depends whether you
plan on going on the Subway, in your own car, or in a car service or
taxi cab.
4. If you are going on your own expedition, don’t forget to pack a
flashlight1 and a book on the stars, which if you don’t already have,
I highly recommend you buy. H.A. Rey’s book The Stars: A New Way
to See Them, is extremely helpful. It tells you when certain
constellations are out and at what times you can see them, as well
as other helpful tips.
5. An optional item is a phone or other device of the like.(Tablets or
iPods.) On these you can purchase special stargazing apps that help
you see where exactly the stars are. You should buy these before you
go out to stargaze so you are familiar with them so you aren’t stuck
fiddling with them while time slips away. You should try to get an
app that has a “night-vision” setting. What this basically does, is it
turns your screen’s light from white light to red light, using the
same effect that the red tissue paper has when covering the
flashlight.
6. …And don’t forget snacks! If you plan on staying out for a while, you
might want to bring something to nosh on while you gaze at the
heavens above. Crackers, cheese, and grapes and/or something
simple ought to do it. Also, don’t forget water: you certainly don’t
want to dehydrate.
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How to Dress Prepared
About that flashlight. Flashlights can do something similar to your eyes when compared to city
lights and the sky. The flashlight’s radiance blocks the faint stars from your view so you can’t see
them. To help prevent this, you can cover the head of your flashlight in several layers of red tissue
paper.
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Stargazing in the New York City
E.R. Walter
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Usually, during the night it gets significantly colder so you might
want to layer. Of course, you don’t want to get too hot, so I would
suggest a long sleeve shirt, pants, a light jacket and a more heavy over
it. That way, you can strip and still stay comfortable. Instead of
bringing a hat, you should bring a jacket that has a hood. If it is
particularly cold, you should of course bring gloves, a scarf, and a hat,
especially if you are going on a bridge or somewhere open and/or near
water.
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Easy-To-Spot Celestial Bodies
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You know you don’t know the sky when all you know how to find
are the Big and Little Dippers. Some people (like myself) at first think
it’s hard to see anything more complicated. However, once you start
looking at the pictures of constellations and seeing where they are, it
starts to come to you naturally. Now, when I gaze at the sky, I see
Hercules, Cygnus the Swan, Ursa Major, Draco the Dragon, and others
just from memory. These are some of the easiest to find from the City
and New York state in general. More are listed below with their stars.
There are also stars and planets. When planets come around, they
look like stars, which is why whenever you go stargazing, you should
check beforehand to see if there are any planets out that night.
Sometimes, you can’t see all of a constellation, maybe just one or two
stars. They all have names, and the some of the best known include…
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1. Pole Star (better known as the North Star) in the Little Dipper,
2. Mizar and Alcor in the Big Dipper,
3. Arcturus from the Boötes the Herdsman,
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Stargazing in the New York City
E.R. Walter
4. Vega from Lyra the Lyre,
5. Deneb from Cygnus the Swan,
6. …and Altair from Aquila the Eagle.
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Final Word
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Thank you so much for reading and using A Beginner’s QuickAnd-Easy Guide to Stargazing in the City: The First Simple Steps. I
hope that is has helped start a passion for the stars and their unique
and untouchable beauty. I would just like to end with a short poem I
wrote.
Inspired
As the night arrives,
The blanket of it's warmth swoops over us,
And it's time to hit the road.
Pack the car,
Hit the gas,
We are on the road at last.
The stars above,
Shine like crystals of the night.
And as we watch them from earth,
New ideas dawn in our minds.
- E.R. Walter
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