Photographing the sky for Earth Hour

Hi All,

The Irish Light Pollution Awareness Campaign (ILPAC) needs the help of all you astrophotographers out there. Dublin City Council have voted to support Earth Hour by switching off all non-essential public lighting for one hour on the night of 29th March.

This is an excellent opportunity to do some useful science using very basic equipment - a camera... and nothing else!

What we are planning to do is to encourage as many people as possible with digital cameras to take sets of photos (using the same exposure settings) of the city before the lights go out and during the Earth Hour event itself. These photos should dramatically illustrate just how much effect public lighting has on the night sky. We're hoping to find a sponsor to offer a prize or prizes for the best set of photos - more on that later.

We would also like to get similar sets of "before & during" photos of the night sky to see if it is possible to work out exactly what effect public lighting has on the limiting magnitude for visible stars seen from within and outside the city. This is where you guys come in! Can anyone suggest the best way (camera settings) to record the effects of sky-glow on the visible sky so that images from different cameras can be calibrated? Would anyone be willing to conduct a few experements along these lines and come up with some fool-proof instructions for the rest of us - and that we can publish in the papers to get public participation?

Ideally the instructions need to be *very* basic - plonk your camera on the ground facing directly up at the sky and take a photo (no flash!) with the lens set to f/? for x number of seconds... or something similar.

If we can get the media to run with this idea we could get the country to engage in an event similar to the UK's Mega-Lab experements where everyone has an opportunity to contribute useful data to a nationwide experement (which ILPAC can coordinate!)

Any takers?

Phil.
__________________________________________________________

To: ilpac@yahoogroups.com
Subject: [ILPAC] Earth Hour - Dublin

All Dublin Co. Co.'s have voted to support Earth Hour!

In practical terms we can expect council buildings to have non
essential lights turned off.

Best Wishes,
~Albert
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STATEMENT BY CLLR PADDY BOURKE

Labour Lord Mayor of Dublin

Tuesday, 05 February 2008

DUBLIN TO LEAD IRISH CITIES IN EARTH HOUR 2008

The Lord Mayor of Dublin, Councillor Paddy Bourke, has welcomed the
council's endorsement of his motion seeking to support Earth Hour
2008.

The motion was passed during Lord Mayor's Business at last night
monthly City Council meeting.

Lord Mayor Burke said: "Earth Hour is an international campaign and
Dublin is one of the latest cities to get behind this important event
where on March 29th all non-essential lights will be switched off for
an hour.

"This campaign is important and everyone from citizens up to
Government has a duty to do what they can against global warming. It
is up to us all to do what we can to reduce our CO2 emissions. Through
one simple action, turning off our lights for an hour, we can deliver
a powerful message about the need for action.

"I am thrilled that as Dublin Lord Mayor I will be leading our
capital city in its participation in this international event. It was
estimated during the Sydney Earth Hour last night demand for
electricity dropped by 10 per cent. It would be fantastic if we could
do the same in Dublin.

I would urge businesses and homes to join in and take part in the campaign."

The wording of the motion passed last night and currently being
tabled by other Labour Councillors throughout the country reads as
follows

That this Council recognizes the need for action on global warming
and the need to conserve energy, reduce carbon emissions and also the
need to reduce light pollution of our night skies.

That this Council will support Earth Hour 2008 ( www.earthhour.org )
by turning off all non-essential lights controlled by the Council from
9 to 10 PM on 29 March 2008 to support a collective world-wide effort
to show the difference that can be made by this initiative and to
raise public awareness of the need to use less energy.

Requests that the City/County Manager/Town Clerk to take all
possible steps to implement the turning off of all non essential
lights in its control as part of Earth Hour 2008

Will write to the local Chamber of Commerce and business community
to lend their support to this initiative.

And that the City/County Manager/Town Clerk will make a statement
on the Matter