Star and Moon Light

Overview

In this experiment I wanted to find out if the phase of the moon would affect how many stars you can see. My hypothesis was that when the phase of the moon was more complete there would not be as many stars visible. To carry out this experiment, I went outside every day for two full moon phases, roughly 60 days, and took pictures of the stars in the same place. After taking the photo I counted the stars in each photo and looked up the percentage and phase of the moon. My results were that if one plans to observe the stars, the phase of the moon does not affect its visibility. The experiment showed that for the same space in the zenith it was almost random how many stars could be seen. Based on the data that when the percentage of the moon was at 75%, there were 74 stars visible, but at 3% there were 92 stars. Although this could lead one to believe that there is an opposite correlation that is not correct. Tracking my data showed that it was almost random with 26 stars at 23% and the next day 73 at 33%. On average at 10% or lower there were 62 visible stars, at 20%, 42 stars, 30%, 18 stars, 40% 8 stars, 50%, 52 stars, 60%, 19 stars, 70%, 22 stars, 80%, 45 stars, 90%, 25 and finally, 15 stars at 100%. In conclusion, the phase of the moon is not the only factor, or for that matter, the main factor, contributing to the number of stars that can be seen. This project is important because it helps demonstrate that while the phase of the moon does slightly affect the number of stars one can see, there are many other factors to consider if one wants to get the least obstructed view of the night sky and its beauties.

Awards (1)

• Category Award: HM

Competition history

• CSEF 2023 Physics & Astronomy · Entry J1708

Resources

• CSEF published award list ↗
• CSEF published award list ↗
• CSEF published award list ↗
• CSEF public showcase (Internet Archive capture) ↗

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