Since April 2020, our team has been promoting the best outreach activities around through the Online Astronomy@Home Awards. With over 350 single entries from 59 countries, we have watched first hand the incredible efforts done by our outreach community to overcome confinement measures and safely continue their astronomy outreach initiatives. We are humbled and amazed with the ingenious ideas, perseverance and hard work that the submissions transpire and to see that even in isolation, we are never truly alone.
In this issue of our newsletter, we want to invite you to join the IAU Sub-Groups on Equity and Inclusion, give a warm welcome to our new NOCs and invite you to celebrate the International Translation Day.
Wishing you clear skies and good health! Lina Canas & Izumi Hansen, on behalf of the IAU Office for Astronomy Outreach (OAO) Team
1) A warm welcome to our new National Outreach Coordinators
The IAU Office for Astronomy Outreach welcomes the following IAU National Outreach Coordinators (NOCs) to our OAO family:
2) IAUS 367 “Education and Heritage in the Era of Big Data in Astronomy”
The IAU Symposium 367 on “Education and Heritage in the Era of Big Data in Astronomy” will be held online from 8-12 December 2020. The primary goal of this Symposium is to give a global vision of Education and Heritage in the framework of the IAU Strategic Plan 2020-2030 and to propose an eventual ‘next steps’ road map and a global astronomy education agenda for the next decade while honouring the education from the past. Registration is free, and the abstract deadline is September 20, 2020.
3) IAU EC WG on Astronomy for Equity and Inclusion Sub-Groups are Accepting Members
The IAU Executive Committee Working Group on Astronomy for Equity and Inclusion Sub-Groups are subsets of the working group created to focus, both discussions and actions, on the different fields across inclusion. There are nine sub-groups accepting members. In the spirit of inclusion, the sub-groups are welcoming everyone interested in contributing, even if they are not an IAU Member.
Globe at Night is a monthly citizen-science campaign to track the effects of light pollution on our night skies. This month’s observation session is currently taking place and will end on 18 September 2020.
5) “From Medicine to Wi-Fi: Technical Application of Astronomy to Society Booklet” - new translations available
“From Medicine to Wi-Fi: Technical Application of Astronomy to Society” Booklet is now translated to Japanese and Korean. The practical uses of astronomy are not always obvious, but the field has had an impact reaching well beyond observing the night sky. This Booklet details the developments in astronomy that have permeated throughout modern-day life.
Space Scoop provides exciting news about the latest astronomical discoveries in child-friendly language and is accompanied by a stunning astronomical image. The articles are delivered directly by major space agencies and institutes around the world, allowing children across the globe to read them concurrently.
On September 30, we are celebrating the International Translation Day to pay tribute to the work of language professionals, who play an important role in bringing nations together; facilitating dialogue, understanding and cooperation; contributing to development; and strengthening world peace and security (reference UN International Translation Day). This is also a chance to send a warm thank you to all the translators, proofreaders and scientific reviewers that volunteer in our IAU Astronomy Translation Network programme.
World Space Week is an UN-declared celebration of space held annually, every October 4 to 10. These events are organized by institutions around the world, including space agencies, aerospace companies, astronomy clubs and museums. The 2020 World Space Week edition is dedicated to satellites under the theme "Satellites improve life". This is an important opportunity for our community to discuss the benefits of satellites to society and highlight the negative impact satellites constellations may have on astronomical observations and the pristine appearance of the night sky when observed from a dark region.
Japanese:http://bit.ly/2xlNyCR
Translations are thanks to Akihiko Tomita, through the Astronomy Translation Network.
You can subscribe to the Japanese newsletter through the Japanese Amateur Astronomers Association (http://www.jaaa-astro.jp/jaaa-ml.html) or the Japanese Society for Education and Popularization of Astronomy (http://www.tenkyo.net/).
If you are interested in translating the IAU Outreach Newsletter into your language, please email public@oao.iau.org.
11) Contributions to the IAU Outreach Newsletter—looking forward to hearing from you in 2020
Here at the IAU Office for Astronomy Outreach, we’re always looking for news about astronomical education and outreach events around the world. Please continue to share your stories with us in 2020! If you are organising large-scale events at a regional or international level, offering astronomy education or communication job positions, have any innovative projects or inspiring stories, looking for professional-amateur collaboration in astronomy, or have created any educational resources, let us know by sending an email to public@oao.iau.org.
You can send us your suggestions until the 4th (for issue #1) and the 17th (for issue #2) day of each month. We are looking forward to hearing from you.
