Star Watching Network - Implementation of Winter Star Watching For FY 2009

Star Watching Network is an activity of simultaneous nation-wide star observation by familiar means, such as with naked eyes and binoculars. This project is conducted twice a year (summer and winter) since 1988 aiming at stimulating interests of participants toward clean and clear atmosphere without any light or air pollution.

The MOE tries to widely appeal the significance of clean air through this project. The MOE will further promote various policies for fostering favorable outdoor lighting set-ups, global warming prevention and improvement of local atmospheric environment, such as diffusion of lighting apparatus with less light leakage into the air and with subdued lighting.

1. FY 2009 Winter Star Watching
(1) Duration
Tuesday, January 5 - Monday, January 18, 2010
Participants are required to watch stars for more than 1 day during the period.
(2) Observation method
(a) Naked eyes
Observe the Milky Way in 3 different altitudes (in the vicinity of Perseus, Gemini, and Monoceros).
(b) Binoculars
Observe stars near the racket-shaped area in Pleiades star clusters and check the magnitude of stars observed.

(3) How to participate
Apply to the authorities in charge of air quality management in prefectural, ordinance-designated city, or core city governments.
Star Watching Network activities are introduced in the MOE webpage for children at https://www.env.go.jp/kids/star.html (in Japanese).

(4) Fixed point observation
The MOE has designated 23 locations at which observation is conducted consecutively for photographing stars, to assess night sky brightness.

For Japanese