All set to celebrate 100 Hours of Astronomy from 1 to 4 October. We’ve received over 120 events in 47 countries registered on our IAU Outreach Event Calendar. All activities registered are eligible to win one of the ten telescopes donated by our partners Stars Shine for Everyone (SSVI). The first 100 events will receive thank-you goodies from our office including the latest CAPjournal printed editions.
If you are enthusiastic about astronomy outreach and enjoy actively engaging with a global and diverse group of people, we encourage you to join our team in Tokyo by applying to our Deputy Director vacancy! The deadline is September 30, 2021.
We have launched the "Under One Sky " Call for Proposals to support projects in and around the UN International Day of the World's Indigenous Peoples celebrated on 9 August 2022. You can apply until 31 December 2021.
In this issue, we highlight the special call for Kavli-IAU symposium on climate and climate change on planets, the publication of the session summaries of the IAU Offices Family Meeting 2021 and invite you to share details on traditional and cultural festivals related to astronomy from your country or region.
Wishing you the clearest skies and good health!
Lina Canas, on behalf of the IAU Office for Astronomy Outreach Team
1) 100 Hours Of Astronomy 2021
We are all set to celebrate 100 Hours of Astronomy! From 1-4 October 2021, the world will celebrate “Together under one sky” drawing inspiration from how our community has come together during a time where physical contact wasn't - and in many places still isn't - possible.
Check out the over 100 initiatives in 47 countries and find an event near you on our IAU Outreach Event Calendar: https://www.iau.org/public/oao-events/
Can’t find an activity near you? Almost all activities are online and accessible to all. As language can be a barrier, we encourage our diverse community to carry activities in their own native languages.
You can find our daily updates on our social media channels with the registered activities.
2) Special Call for Kavli-IAU Symposium on Climate and Climate Change on Planets
The IAU is inviting proposals for the first Kavli-IAU Interdisciplinary Symposium, which will be dedicated to Climate and Climate Change on Planets and is scheduled to take place in late 2022 or early 2023. The goal of the symposium is to bring together scientists studying a broad range of planetary processes to better understand the possible future of our climate on Earth. Full proposals should be submitted to the IAU General Secretary by 15 November 2021.
3) Session Summaries of the IAU Offices Family Meeting 2021
The IAU Offices Family Meeting was held online from 20 – 22 July 2021, bringing together the global networks of the four IAU Offices: the National Astronomy Education Coordinators (NAEC), National Outreach Coordinators (NOCs), Regional Offices and Language Expertise Centres of Astronomy for Development (ROADs) and (LOADs). The organization was led by the IAU Office of Astronomy for Education.
Understanding the importance of astronomy in traditional festivals around the world and the overall importance of Astronomy in culture, we are collecting a list of traditional festivals around the world related to astronomy. Strongly rooted in our shared traditions, we intend to bridge different countries through their shared cultural and historical interests for the sky and astronomical events.
Here we provide two examples: - Tanabata Festival is also known as the "Star Festival". Tanabata is a summer festival in Japan, an indicator of summer and when children and adults make wishes and look at the stars.
- Tsukimi means "looking at the moon" and is a Japanese tradition (that dates back over a thousand years) of holding special moon-viewing parties in autumn.
Contribute and let us know the cultural festivals and traditions you have in your country or region related to astronomy! https://forms.office.com/r/6JMGJu5NuA
5) NOCs Funding Scheme 2021-2022
The IAU National Outreach Coordinators (NOCs) are national-level representatives for the IAU Office for Astronomy Outreach (OAO). Members of the network act as a point-of-contact for astronomy outreach for a country or territory. NOCs support the implementation of IAU OAO projects on a national level, share astronomy news and events within their country, and bridge the IAU with local communities. In the process, they receive outreach support from the IAU OAO, such as access to the NOCs Funding Scheme, and a connection with the global network of NOCs.
6) Largest Virtual Universe Free for Anyone to Explore
An international team of researchers has generated an entire virtual universe and made it freely available to everyone. Uchuu (meaning “Outer Space” in Japanese) is the largest and most realistic simulation of the Universe to date. The Uchuu simulation consists of 2.1 trillion particles in a computational cube an unprecedented 9.63 billion light-years to a side. Researchers from Japan, Spain, U.S.A., Argentina, Australia, Chile, France, and Italy created Uchuu using ATERUI II, the world’s most powerful supercomputer dedicated to astronomy.
7) American Association of Variable Star Observers (AAVSO) celebrates its 110th anniversary
The American Association of Variable Star Observers (AAVSO) is a non-profit worldwide scientific and educational organization of amateur and professional astronomers who are interested in stars that change in brightness—variable stars. The AAVSO is celebrating our 110th anniversary this year.
Registrations are now open for the SciAccess 2021 Conference, which is taking place virtually on November 12 and 13! The SciAccess 2021 Conference will be dedicated to promoting disability inclusion, diversity, and equity in STEM. If you are interested in sharing any work, ideas, experiences, or best practices related to accessible STEM, please submit your talk proposal by September 24.
a) STEM XR: Collaborative Interdisciplinary Workshop on Science Communication in Virtual Worlds
Location: Virtual
Date: 1 October 2021 - 1 January 2022
Website: https://stemxr.org
Japanese:https://bit.ly/36XeKZr
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 Office for Astronomy Outreach Newsletter into your language, please email public@oao.iau.org.
11) Contribute to the IAU Astronomy Outreach Newsletter
We’re always looking to include news about astronomy outreach, communication and public engagement from around the world in the next newsletter from the IAU Office for Astronomy Outreach. If you have an astronomical event, job, opportunity, educational resource, or anything else that would be of interest to the astronomy outreach community, send us an email at public@oao.iau.org with more information.
You can send us your suggestions through the 4th for issue #1 and the 17th for issue #2 of each month. We are looking forward to hearing from you!
