Introduction to Dark Skies Rangers, Portugal

In October 2023 as part of our Erasmus, KA1 project on STREAM activities,

"Full STR^5EAM ahead",

a group of students from the Bulgarian partner school took part in a mobility to a partner school in Portugal. As part of the programme we met Mr Nelson Correia who works for Dark Skies Rangers, Portugal. He was so kind to introduce the organisation and its educational purposes to us. Here is what we have learnt:

The international program Dark Skies Rangers, coordinated in Portugal by NUCLIO, aims to fight the problem of light pollution, by raising awareness among the educational community and local authorities to change the lighting systems in order to preserve the night sky.

The objective of the project is to alert local communities to this problem of light pollution through work carried out by students.

NUCLIO has a specific website for this project: dsr.nuclio.pt

The images below show the Bulgarian students during his meeting with Mr Correia at which they discussed:

- introduction of the problem of light pollution

- types of light pollution

- solutions to the problem

- observation of celestial bodies over the night sky.

The Bulgarian guests offered a gift to thier host - a T-shirt painted by a member of our team, Veliana Parahuleva, 9th Grade. The painted T-shirt can be charged with a flash light to glow in the dark and remind of the beauty of pristine night skies.