5th Grade Dark Skies Project

sponsored by EASTCONN

     Students in Grade 5 are participating in the Dark Skies project through EASTCONN.  This program is facilitated through the Expanding Horizons interdistrict grant and is partially funded by the OSA Foundation.  Students will assume the role of “citizen-scientist” to study the effects of “light pollution” and how it obscures the nighttime sky.  Students will use sky quality meters (SQMs) to measure the amount of light in the nighttime sky and determine the quality of the sky. For the students to record accurate data, they will use what they know about longitude and latitude, magnitude, moon phases and constellations.  As data gatherers, students will understand the importance of maintaining accurate data and how to make a reliable test.  To enhance our study, the students will be able to compare how bright our sky is to other locations within Connecticut, the USA, and the world.  All of the results from the participating CT schools will be compiled and sent to the National Optical Astronomy Observatory (NOAO) in Tucson, AZ for inclusion in an international study.

     On December, 25 students visited Skinner Road School in Vernon.  They met other students involved in the program from Vernon and Stafford.  Students were shown how to use the SQM and how to record the data collected.  We have been assigned to an outreach school called Napaaqtugmiut, in Noatak, Alaska.  The students wrote pen pal letters and prepared a box filled with pictures and artifacts from Coventry. These were sent to Alaska before the holidays.  In the coming months, the Alaskan students will also be taking measurements and will return them to us for further study.  This is a very exciting learning experience for the 5th graders at GHR!