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ESERO Ireland Discover Space Award – Sample Projects The European Space Education Resource Office Ireland (ESERO Ireland) is a project cofunded by SFI and the European Space Agency. The aim of the project is to use space as a theme to support the teaching of science and maths through the provision of resources, inspirational materials and training for teachers. Criteria: The award is presented to the project which best uses Space as a theme in science, technology or maths. Space education information and resources are available from www.esero.ie.
11. Light Pollution Light pollution is a big issue for people (including observatories) trying to view faint objects in the night sky. The stray light from streetlights, houses, cars, etc. has the effect of lighting up the night sky which limits the amount of objects we can observe in the sky. This means that people living in cities rarely see the stars in the sky. The best observatories in the world are placed in remote locations in order to minimise the effect of light pollution. Light pollution has also been shown to have an effect on the health of humans and animals. As the world becomes ever more populated it is important that we manage the issue of light pollution. You might like to: • Research effects of light pollution – both positive and negative • Study the effect of night lighting on nearby trees and plants • Monitoring/Measuring o Use commercial light meters o Build a custom Arduino/ raspberry pi sensor • Develop a mobile phone app • Campaign to raise awareness o Local media o Social media o Citizen science Research Links: http://www.globeatnight.org/light-pollution.php http://www.lightpollutionmap.info/ http://www.darkskiesawareness.org/faq-what-is-lp.php http://physics.fau.edu/observatory/lightpol-Plants.html
12. Collect and Analyse Meteorite Dust Cosmic space dust regularly enters Earth’s atmosphere, from asteroids and other moving space objects. Lots of this material burns up in the atmosphere, but some if it finishes up on the ground here on the Earth. A small asteroid is called a meteoroid. Meteoroid material that makes it to the ground on Earth is called a meteorite. You might like to:
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Devise a way to collect and analyse meteorite dust or design a collection system Determine which places are best to collect the dust, compared to others Think about ways to tell the difference between real space dust and dust from terrestrial materials such as iron and other industrial metals Compare the amount of dust you find on different nights – does it increase when there’s been a meteor shower (for example, the Lyrid Shower on 22-23 April)?
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