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Global Programs in Global Astronomy Month this April

Global star parties, meteor watching, events dedicated to the Moon, the Sun and to Saturn, dark sky pledges, virtual meetings with famous astronomers, remote observations of exoplanets, asteroid discoveries and more - Global Astronomy Month has Global Programs for everyone. Here are 10 highlights of these global programs. Join the global celebration of the Universe this April!

10 ways to participate in Global Astronomy Month this April!

New Global Programs invite everyone to join in

With three weeks remaining until Global Astronomy Month (GAM) begins in April, Astronomers Without Borders (AWB) has developed Global Programs everyone can take part in. Professional and amateur astronomers, educators and all astronomy enthusiasts worldwide can chose between global star parties, meteor watching, events dedicated to the Moon, the Sun and to Saturn, dark sky pledges, virtual meetings with famous astronomers, remote observations of exoplanets, asteroid discoveries and much more. Below are 10 highlights of these global programs, and there's much more on the GAM website. Join the global celebration of the Universe this April!

1. Living Legends Series - (virtual event) Date to be announced

A highlight of several online interactive events during GAM, the Living Legend Series begins its run during GAM. Streamed live online for everyone to watch, AWB Affiliates around the world will also interact with the special guests. Each program presents a unique opportunity to see and interact with the most fascinating people in astronomy. It's one of many online programs being presented throughout the month.

2. Is There Anybody Out There? - (remote event) 7th April 00.00 UT

Who hasn't asked themselves this question? Astronomers have discovered 450 planets outside our Solar System, and you can observe one of them online, sharing the excitement with others around the globe, by the dimming of the light of its "sun" while it crosses in front of it. It's one highlight of a series of online observing events for everyone.

3. SunDay - (physical event) 11th April

Become a Sun worshipper on 11 April! Our own star is the worldwide focus on this day. Gather your friends to observe the Sun, bring your telescope out for others to see it, make a solar spectroscope, tune in to special programs. Be sure you use the proper methods and filters! SunDay is one of many programs about the Sun to take place during GAM.

4. Saturn Watch - (physical event) from 12th to 16th April

Saturn's rings are back! They've been turned sideways to us and hard to see but this fascinating planet is once again showing off its famous ring system. Saturn Watch begins on 11 April and continues nightly through the 16^th. Amateur clubs and sidewalk astronomers are encouraged to plan observing events to share Saturn with the public. It's one of several programs meant to encourage amateur astronomers to get involved.

5. Beauty Without Borders - Saturn for All - (physical event) 16th April

Beauty Without Borders is a grassroots program begun by amateurs around the world and now coordinated by Astronomers Without Borders to bring more of us together to share celestial highlights with the public, and with each other. This time Saturn is the "beauty". If you have a telescope, join sidewalk astronomers worldwide who have banded together in this unique program.

6. Write Your Name in the Sky! - (remote event)   15th April 21.30 UT

Asteroids have always intrigued us. They're mysterious and sometimes frightening when they enter our region of space. In this online remote observing event we face our fears and reveal the secrets of these lonely travelers as we hunt for asteroids in real time. The first to discover one could get naming rights, putting a label in the sky for eternity!

7.  Lunar Week - (physical event) from 17th to 23rd April

17 April marks the start of Lunar Week, seven nights dedicated to observing the closest celestial body to Earth and our companion in our yearly journey around the Sun. Moon-themed star parties to observe the Moon through telescopes and by naked eye, educational programs, online observing events, competitions and a celebration of the Moon in different cultures are just a few ways you can participate in Lunar Week.

8. Lyrids Watch - (physical event) 21st and 22nd April

Meteor showers are one of nature's great displays: dozens of "falling stars" that scratch the night sky. Dress warmly, lay back and watch the show right above your head. It's more than a light show, though. The cosmic debris we see burning up in the atmosphere are left over from a comet's tail. There are records of this meteor shower going back 2600 years. What will this year's shower be like?

9. One Star at a Time - (dark skies) Dates to be announced

One Star at a Time is looking for a missing object. We've lost our Milky Way and we want it back! The Milky Way stretches across the sky, composed of thousands of stars in our galaxy but it's hidden from view in our cities by the blanket of light we needlessly and wastefully send up into the sky. But what can you do about it? Join this new global project - launching during GAM - and pledge to preserve and protect the starry night sky above your own home or business. Join with others around the world to bring our Milky Way back - One Star at a Time.

10.  Global Star Party - 24th April

The excitement generated by Global Astronomy Month comes to a peak on Saturday, 24 April, with the ultimate observing event. The Global Star Party is the time to come out under the stars, bring your own telescope and encourage others to join to bridge gaps across the seas, under the theme "one people, one sky." Begun during 100 Hours of Astronomy during the International Year of Astronomy, the Global Star Party is an ongoing annual AWB event.

This is just a sampling of the activities available during GAM. Astronomers Without Borders is partnering with many programs to bring them to the grand celebration of the Universe.

Are you holding an event during GAM? Register it on the GAM web site and share your ideas with astronomy enthusiasts around the globe!

More information:

• Website
• Blog
• GAM newsletter subscription
• Twitter
• Facebook

Astronomers Without Borders

Astronomers Without Borders is dedicated to fostering understanding and goodwill across national and cultural boundaries by creating relationships through the universal appeal of astronomy. Astronomers Without Borders projects promote sharing, all through a common interest in something basic and universal - sharing the sky.

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GAM2010 Public Relations Coordinator
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"Stargaze Locally, Party Globally!" That's the call to action heading the Sky and Telescope magazine news feature by Kelly Beatty. Highlighting new ideas for the follow-up to last year's 100 Hours of Astronomy, Beatty says, "Bold, new ideas are in the works." As a Sky and Telescope stalwart for 30 years Beatty knows a good thing when he sees one. Read his complete article on the Sky and Telescope web site.

Declaring "Let’s Continue the Celebration of the Universe!", the Secretariat of the International Year of Astronomy 2009 (IYA2009) announced the upcoming Global Astronomy Month (GAM2010) on their web site and in news updates circulated worldwide. The article, a call for action, can be seen on the IYA2009 web site.

The GAM2010 blog in live! Beginning with a welcome to this new worldwide initiative, the blog will feature the musings of GAM planners and astronomy writers from around the world. The latest entries are always listed on the GAM web site. Follow the action as the excitement builds to April and throughout the monthlong event.

With more than 7500 people from over 80 countries taking part, the new remote observing project, Big Dipper to Southern Cross, was a huge success. Using telescope time donated by the Virtual Telescope and Global Rent-a-Scope, located in the northern and southern hemispheres, the event's popularity shows that the future is bright for remote observing sessions like this.

See the project page for more including links to reports and images.

 

 

The second Seasons Without Borders event will take place on 21-22 December 2009. This is a special program of events created by AWB Affiliates using the days that the seasons begin (solstice or equinox) to set up public star parties to share the sky with the public. Some AWB Affiliates also connect with each other for special programs as well. These are noteworthy dates that are important in all cultures for many reasons, and they are interesting days astronomically as well.

For more information see the Seasons Without Borders program page.

The very popular web site of The World at Night (TWAN) has reached an important milestone -- three million hits since the web site was launched less than one year ago. The popularity of the web site has grown since it's very high profile debut on 24 December 2007 when it was announced the next day on NASA's Astronomy Picture of the Day and Spaceweather.com. TWAN soon gained the first-ever designation as a Special Project of the International Year of Astronomy 2009.

The popularity of The World at Night is due in large part to the unflagging dedication of its founder and director, Babak Tafreshi. Tafreshi's fame has grown with the TWAN project as indicated by his recently being awarded the 2009 Lennart Nilsson Award, the world's most prestigious award for scientific photography. Tafreshi has built an unprecedented global team of landscape astrophotographers -- experts in wide-angle views of terrestrial landmarks beneath the night sky -- which is now often referred to as "TWAN-style photography." This team of dedicated photographers has built TWAN into a worldwide institution that continues to attract attention for its unmatched collection of images that illustrates our place in the Universe.

See the article on the TWAN web site for more information on this milestone, including data such as the images most often viewed by visitors.

Babak Tafreshi, Director of The World at Night (TWAN) has been named co-recipient of the 2009 Lennart Nilsson Award, the world’s most prestigious distinction in scientific photography. The citation reads in part, "Babak A. Tafreshi's photographs reclaim a night sky that most modern people have lost. He takes us to remote places where the stars still look like they did at the dawn of mankind. His work calls to mind the beauty of the universe and human life on our planet."

Tafreshi created TWAN in 2007 and continues to be the driving force behind the project's worldwide success. TWAN has been declared a Special Project of the International Year of Astronomy 2009, helping the UN-declared year to reach a broad audience.

The award will be presented to Tafreshi in a ceremony in Stockholm on 28 October, with Lennart Nilsson in attendance.

Read the full article for more.

The inagural AWB remote observing session, held on Sept. 25 in partnership with the Virtual Telescope was a great success. More than 650 viewers from 45 different countries came together to enjoy the sky together as Dr. Gianluca Masi led them from one object to another, creating images of each as the global audience commented, asked questions and chatted with each other through instant messaging. The Ring Nebula, the giant planet Jupiter, the great globular cluster in Hercules known as M13, and more were visited as participants traveling together through space and time. This event is the first of many to be carried out through this new partnership -- a long-term program of remote observing that brings together AWB Affiliates and friends from around the world to look up and share the sky.

For more on this event including images, a video of the entire session and reports by participants go to the event page.

 

The World at Night (TWAN), a Special Project of the International Year of Astronomy 2009 administered by Astronomers Without Borders, is featured on the web site of the flagship news program of the USA's Public Broadcasting System, NewsHour with Jim Lehrer. The feature includes a slide show and interviews of AWB President Mike Simmons, TWAN Director Babak Tafreshi and TWAN photographer Wally Pacholka. Coverage of one of 24 exhibitions in shopping malls around the nation accompanies the slide show.

The International Year of Astronomy 2009 has sprung up several surprises. Some of them included star parties between two different countries at the same venue. For the first time, an actual star party was held on the Ground Zero between two different countries, which was also attended by the security forces of each country.

Seasons without Borders is a new project developed by AWB Affiliates in Brazil, India and Iraq. On June 21, 2009 the Sun will reach its most northern point in our sky, marking the beginning of summer north of the equator and the beginning of winter in the south.  AWB Affiliate groups will gather to view the shadow falling on a sundial or even just a stick put into the ground.  They'll connect with other Affiliates to share their observations from different parts of the world.  All AWB Affiliates are invited to join in.

The AWB Gallery is ready for you to use!  You can upload pictures to these categories: IYA, Astronomical Pictures, Equipment, Educational Activities, Projects (currently including 100 Hours of Astronomy, and The Sky at Night), and Starparties.

There is a how-to guide for viewing and uploading Pictures to the Gallery, which you can find both on the Forum under "Introduction to the AWB Website" , and also as a FAQ.

There are also FAQs for registering and logging in, and for using the AWB Forum.

Italian site discussing The World At Night (TWAN) Project.

Planetary Radio interview with Mike Simmons about the 100 Hours of Astronomy worldwide celebration.

We have lots of events planned over this period.  A village astrofest in Baradine on Friday night preceded by talks in the schools, solar observing and a BBQ as well telescope workshop, followed by observing at the High School oval. Thursday night will see sidewalk astronomy on the main street of Coonabarabran. There will be live broadcasts to a number of schools on the Friday morning and a Starry Starry night event in the park on the Saturday night.

An International  Workshop on "The Earth and Sky, Astrophotography and Image Processing" (a TWAN project) is scheduled to be held next month in Delhi.

AWB President Mike Simmons traveled to Brazil to give a presentation for AWB Affiliate Clube de Astronomia Luis Cruls.

Excitement is building for 100 Hours of Astronomy

The final tally for GLOBE at Night is in!

Latitude and Longitude- a new Affiliate project

AWB at International Conferences- an update

Professor Roy McCord’s Honors Astronomy class

Astronomers Without Borders (AWB) will be presented to audiences at three important conferences in May and June.

TWAN is featured in Astronomie Magazine (France)

Sharing Telescopes and Resources (STAR) is starting a pilot program.

100 Hours of Astronomy Cornerstone Project of the International Year of Astronomy 2009 (IYA2009)

The World at Night (TWAN) is featured in Sky and Telescope Magazine. 

Dr. Sky interviews AWB President Mike Simmons