Recent Changes - Search:

Nehru Planetarium

TaareWiki Home

EclipseWiki

Taaramandal Scripts

Jantar Mantar Calibration

Zameen-Aasmaan IYA workshops

Miscellaneous

Meta PmWiki

pmwiki.org

edit SideBar

A Planetarium initiative related to Light Pollution Concerns

The Taare Sadak Par pages contain a collaborative compilation of information related to quantification of light pollution in different regions of India, archived discussions in the yahoogroup related to that, individual and institutional observations and many compiled references.

Beginner's Help Pages?

Discussions on Quantifying Light Pollution

Observations?

References related to light pollution studies

Organisations like the Science Popularisation Association of Communicators and Educators (S.P.A.C.E.) who are doing pioneering work towards bringing "Taare Desk par" would be able to contrubute hugely to such a compilation.

Similarly, there are organisations like Astro Education services which are also working directly with children conducting astronomy activities.

And then, there are so many organisations in India doing such inspiring grass roots educational work with children.

Finally and most importantly, it is the amateur astronomers from all over the country, who could contribute the most to this excercise. This is one contributory observational project, where their expertise would be of the utmost help. This program, in fact, is something in the spirit of "Appreciating the Amateur Astronomer"!

The Delhi amateur astronomers have started putting together the data for this program and have really kick started the program.

The Bangalore amateur astronomers have such a good body of work behind them and such a good support/nurturing from the Bangalore planetarium, that we can hope for a number of observations from Bangalore and nearby regions.

The Gujrat amateur astronomers have a very good record of conducting public observations, are now organising an all Gujrat Amateur Astronomers Meeting and would be able to contribute richly to this program.

We hope for participation from Kolkata and Mumbai amateur astronomers and from amateur astronomers, students and everybody interested, from all over India.

Why do we wish to quantify light pollution?

Do look at the night lights map here (from the website of Light Pollution Science and Technology Institute, Italy)

indicating the global distribution of light pollution

from http://www.lightpollution.it/dmsp/index.html

India, does not have a good report card, as far as a blame for light pollution is concerned. We all know that we have lost the magic of watching stars from our cities. It is not just that, this light pollution could also be going to quite a harmful extent for the nocturnal life forms and posing health hazards to humans and other life forms. We all need to think about this and take some corrective actions.

It is there, that this information would be useful. To fight a monster, we will need first to have some acquaintance with it. We need to know which local areas are the worst, which lighting systems are leading to this situation and then point this out to those in authority. We will also need the handles that this quantification can provide, to monitor long term changes, good or bad.

So, please do join hands with us and observe "Taare Sadak Par"

Yeh Taara, Woh Taara : A Handful of Stars

A Planetarium program on concerns of Light Pollution, in India, has been prepared by the Nehru Planetarium, New Delhi, and will be available for public viewing soon.

Any other planetarium that wishes to use material from this script, modify it, change the title (if they wish) are welcome to use it. A word of credit would, of course, be appreciated.

Edit - History - Print - Recent Changes - Search
Page last modified on January 08, 2015, at 02:59 AM EST