The IT city of India that harbours a close to 6.5 Million population, It'd probably be no gamble to assume that there'd be atleast a few thousand amateur astronomers and astronomy enthusiasts in different corners of the Garden city. This is to invite them all or really enthusiast likewise to participate in the Bangalore Astronomical Society's sky survey programme.
The intention ? Basically to chart down locations around the city usable for sky observations. The IT boom has virtually created an ever-expanding city and the resultant lights go on to pollute far farther than just the outskirts. Locations with excellent or fairly good skies and not too far from the city at one time are now bogs of light pollution. While this has been the good signs of development for many, the amateur astronomers and dark sky lovers alike have taken to places only much farther from the city. This quest has been continious as old locations once good take a turn for the worse and these seemingly niche group of people in us are always on the run to find better venues and bid adieu to the old ones. Dark skies around here seem an extremely rare and constantly endangered breed and this NASA picture tells you just why.
The primary motive is to chart down potential locations for sky observations and star parties conducted by the Bangalore Astronomical Society or a database accesible to any amateur in Bangalore to ideally just do a quick reference, find the nearest location and setoff ! On the long run, the motive would also include carrying out a study project on the deterioratory evolution of skies around the city.
Getting to what's-got-to-be-done, The task is pretty simple to any amateur astronomer. Firstly, determining the Bortle Sky class of the sky under consideration and Secondly, to jot down the venue characteristics of like of approach road, accesibility, remoteness, observing site.. etc. To summarize, the following parameters may be noted down. The below mentioned need no optical or astronomical equipment.
\t\t\tWhile from the location perspective,
So if you do go visiting places around and close to Bangalore.. Please care to note down the above mentioned parameters. You may email your data to us post your details here. We expect contributions from everybody in this endeavour to map Bangalore's skies.\t\t\t
