July was a busy month in astronomy and space science. On July 20 the world celebrated the 40th anniversary of the first landing of men on the Moon. Two days later the longest total solar eclipse of the 21st century crossed much of Asia and the Pacific Ocean. Both events triggered activities among thousands of enthusiasts and brought the attention of millions more. AWB Affiliates were busy on both dates.
Recent Forum Activity
Affiliate Activities: Apollo 11 Celebrations
In Nicaragua, ANASA, the country's largest astronomy community, held celebrations of the 40th anniversary of Apollo 11 over several days. You'll find announcements and links to more information, including videos and Twitter, in the AWB Forum under Affiliate Activities.
The Amateur Astronomers Association of Kurdistan in Iraq also held a popular public celebration of our first step on another planet.
The Night of Stars is an annual event in Tunisia usually held at the time of the Perseid meteor shower in August but this year it was moved to July to recognize Apollo 11. Hosted this year by Sidi Bourouis, a space and astronomy youth club house, the extensive program is described in the AWB Forum post. With the event a few days in the past we're expecting some reports on the results and lots of pictures in the Gallery soon.
Affiliate Activities: Total Solar Eclipse Observations
We know there are lots of AWB Affiliates who observed the solar eclipse on July 20 in their own country or elsewhere. Did your club see this greatest of natural spectacles? Did you share it with others at your observing site? Post a report on the AWB Forum to share with others around the world!
Introductions
The Welcome section of the AWB Forum has new introductions from Affiliates in Tunisia, New Zealand, Indonesia, USA, Canada and Brazil. Say hello to your colleagues in other parts of the world. Post an introduction to tell others about yourself and your group. We're all interested in hearing from you -- that's why we've all joined Astronomers Without Borders!
New AWB Affiliate Activity
The Astronomers Without Borders spirit was in evidence as amatuer astronomers from India and Bangladesh met along their common border to exchange pleasantries, gifts and views of the sky. The two countries have a long history of difficult relations but these astronomers recognized that they share the same sky with each other and came together in a spirit of peace. This activity, organized by leading clubs in both countries who are AWB Affiliates, is similar to the global program and Special Project of IYA2009 StarPeace. A full report from the organizers with links to their web sites and to photos of the event in the AWB Gallery can be seen here. Congratulations to those who have shown that stars can win over guns!
The World at Night
The World at Night (TWAN), an AWB project that is also a Special Project of IYA2009, has hundreds of new images by the TWAN team, which includes the world's best landscape astrophotographers. There is a lot of news about TWAN exhibitions and accomplishments since we last reported on it, too. The TWAN web site has all the news and more than 1000 stunning images of the night sky from special locations around the world.
News about upcoming projects
Video conferences
A new committee has been formed to find the best system for AWB to use for video conferencing. We hope to begin using this new technology regularly by the end of this summer..
Remote observing
A report on remote observing during 100 Hours of Astronomy has been prepared. This will be the starting point for beginning this new program for AWB Affiliates, sharing the sky with each other across borders around the world. There are discussions underway and we hope to have news by the end of summer.
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