Milky Way Star Festival

For as long as we humans have looked up at the starry heavens,  the graceful, arching band of the Milky Way stretched out above our heads has reminded us of our our shared heritage of the night sky.  Whenever we gaze at the outstretched arm of our home galaxy, no matter where we live on Earth, we can get a sense of the connection between our planet Earth, and the Universe.

Get set to celebrate our home galaxy, the Milky Way! Based on the annual, traditional Tanabata festival held across Japan every summer, AWB will be holding its own very special online festival that will look at our Milky Way through global cultural stories, contemporary art, observational science and astrophotography from many parts of the world. 

Mark your calendar and join us for some cosmic fun August 1 to 7. Stay tuned to this page and social media channels for detailed program announcements in the coming days.

Festival Trailer



Quick Links

Speakers

Dr. Moiya McTier
Humanity's Cosmic Connections
What could be more human than wondering about the universe? Every single one of us has ancestors who were guided, entertained, and awed by the night sky. And we continue to be drawn to space through stories and curiosity today, even though most of its mysteries have been solved. Even if we don't always feel like it, we are all connected to the cosmos, and therefore each other. 

Date: Aug. 1  @ 4 pm EDT /  2000 UTC  
Location:  AWB Facebook / YouTube 

Yasmin Catricheo
Mapuche Comosvision of the Universe
The Mapuche people, the first nation in southern South America, have connected and interpreted the Milky Way, which has allowed them to grow as a community. The recovery of their knowledge that initially has been transmitted through the speech of generations after generations, has now helped us to understand more the intense connection of the Mapuche people with everything that surrounds us.

      Date: Aug. 2  @ 11 am EDT /  1500 UTC 
Location:  AWB Facebook / YouTube 

Kazuya Ayani

Tanabata: Japanese traditional festival for
Vega and Altair

This talk will explore the history of tanabata and how it is celebrated 
today.

Date: Aug. 5  @ 8 am EDT /  1200 UTC 
Location:  AWB Facebook / YouTube 



Events

Milky Way Treasures
from Italy 



Get set for a live online, guided tour of some of the Milky Way's many deep sky treasures through a large telescope near Rome, Italy

Date/Time: August 3 @ 22:30 UTC / 6 pm EDT
Location: Virtual Telescope Website
Milky Way Livestream
From China 


Date/Time: August 4 @ 8 pm Beijing Time, 1200 UTC 
Location: Livestream
LIVE View of Milky Way
from Japan 


Location: Bisei Astronomical Observatory


Stories

Create a Members' Report about a cultural story or a personal story about the Milky Way and see it published here. You must sign in as a member to contribute. Don't forget to add the hashtag #MilkyWayFestival when you're finished writing.

Milky Way Festival Events

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Check out Celestron's Ultimate Guide to Observing the Milky Way!


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