Into the night: New meter atop SE's Rhodes Hall tracks light pollution, global warming

As if something from the intergalactic classic “Star Wars” landed on the rooftop of Southeast Missouri State University’s Rhodes Hall, a device — nicknamed “PO,” after the film series’ character Poe Dameron — observes the amount of light pollution in the sky, playing into a large-scale project assessing the possible effects of global warming: The Missouri Sky Quality Meter Program.

The tiny yet powerful “sky quality meter” (SQM) — the size of a portable hard drive — sits inside a plastic cylinder with a battery pack attached, tracking what it sees. It’s capable of coordinating data with others of its kind in Perryville, Missouri, and other “dark” sites in Missouri state parks.

The device records an analysis every 5 minutes and converts the data to a text file accessible via computer. The findings are then emailed to Truman State University in Kirksville, Missouri. Southeast professor of physics Michael Cobb said he has access to the readings at any time.

And that data is important to have, he stressed, because light pollution is “one of the primary factors of man-made lights.” It also may connect with climate changes and how clear the skies are — climate change affects how cloudy the sky is.

“If you’re an astronomer, it’s a big deal,” he said.

Southeast Missouri State University professor of physics Michael Cobb holds the "sky quality meter" housed atop Southeast's Rhodes Hall on Tuesday.Joshua Hartwig

Southeast’s Department of Chemistry and Physics applied to participate in Truman’s research and was selected as a Dark Sky Site through the International Dark-Sky Association. The group is a not-for-profit organization that “works to protect the night skies for present and future generations,” according to its website.

Cobb said momentum for the collaboration first began after encouraging conversations he had with astronomers in St. Louis and at Jefferson College in Hillsboro, Missouri.

The device was installed Oct. 25, he said, adding since then, he’s become confident with retrieving the data. Truman owns the device, Cobb said, and is allowing Southeast to house the nearly $500 piece of equipment.

The data collected from the SQMs will be scientifically analyzed, according to information from Truman. It includes readings on sky brightness, how it has changed over time and how the brightness of each location compares to other locations.

The goal, according to Truman, is to use the information to raise awareness about light pollution and to develop programs that will help preserve “the natural beauty” of Missouri’s night sky.

“It’s always nice to be part of a scientific experiment,” Cobb said, adding he may be relocating “PO” to the university’s observatory trailer at David. M. Barton Agriculture Research Center just south of Gordonville, where “darker skies” exist.

That location also houses a 14-inch telescope once used for Cobb’s astronomy courses, he added.

Future Southeast physics students and other participating institutions will have access to the data collected by the meters for additional research, according to Southeast.