The Great World Wide Star Count is an international Citizen Science campaign. The purpose of this event is to encourage everyone to go outside, look skywards after dark, count the stars they see in certain constellations, and report what they see online. This Windows to the Universe Citizen Science Event is designed to encourage learning in astronomy! Have fun everyone!

Citizen Science

Citizen science projects involve the public in scientific research and data collection. Typically, people around the world observe phenomena from their own locale, send in data via the Internet, and then view the combined data from thousands of other "citizen scientists" making similar observations around the globe. Together, we can all learn more about our planet, and hopefully solve problems, too!

Our current citizen science campaign is the Great World Wide Star Count. In this campaign, which runs from October 25 through November 8, 2013, you will make observations of the magnitude of either the constellation Cygnus (for the northern hemisphere) or Sagittarius (for the southern hemisphere) using magnitude charts and report your observations online. We can then assemble all our observations and see the effect of light pollution on our ability to view the night sky.

Past Windows to the Universe Citizen Science Campaigns (no longer active): Measure Your World!

Last modified September 12, 2007 by Randy Russell.

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Windows to the Universe, a project of the National Earth Science Teachers Association, is sponsored in part is sponsored in part through grants from federal agencies (NASA and NOAA), and partnerships with affiliated organizations, including the American Geophysical Union, the Howard Hughes Medical Institute, the Earth System Information Partnership, the American Meteorological Society, the National Center for Science Education, and TERC. The American Geophysical Union and the American Geosciences Institute are Windows to the Universe Founding Partners. NESTA welcomes new Institutional Affiliates in support of our ongoing programs, as well as collaborations on new projects. Contact NESTA for more information. NASA ESIP NCSE HHMI AGU AGI AMS NOAA