We are proud to announce another celebration of the Office for Astronomy Outreach's 10-year anniversary: our longest continuous astronomy event of the year, 100 Hours of Astronomy. Under our motto, Astronomy for Everyone, we aim to engage communities around the globe in the wonders of the Universe. The feature below outlines how you can get involved.
Please also consider joining our ongoing project, NameExoWorlds. Form a team to compete for the chance to name an exoplanet and its host star. In fact, you can bring three of the OAO’s most exciting programmes together. For example: As part of your NameExoWorlds 2022 competition entry, organize a Meet the IAU Astronomers! Public talk on exoplanets. If your event takes place during 1 and 4 October 2022, register your activity as part of 100 Hours of Astronomy for a chance to name an exoplanet and win a telescope or other prizes, in addition to receiving support from the OAO and the IAU National Outreach Coordinators. The opportunities are endless with the OAO programmes.
We would like to offer a profound congratulations to our IAU Family at the Office of Astronomy for Development, which will continue its amazing work in South Africa until 2027.
Also in this Newsletter, you will find several discussions of (and opportunities to discuss) astronomy and astronomy communication in the context of global phenomena. From climate change to COVID-19, it is interesting to consider how this renewed global perspective has changed the way we look at astronomy communication and education.
As always, we thank our National Outreach Coordinators, who, despite their other responsibilities, find the time to engage their communities with amazing astronomy activities. Be sure not to miss some of their highlights reported below.
May your skies be dark and quiet,
Kelly Blumenthal, on behalf of the IAU Office for Astronomy Outreach Team
100 Hours of Astronomy Announced From 1 to 4 October 2022, the IAU Office for Astronomy Outreach will hold a 100-hour, round-the-clock, global celebration of astronomy. The OAO is inviting everyone around the world to get involved in the event, which aims to engage as many people as possible with the sky and the wonders of our Universe.
For this year’s theme, the programme draws inspiration from the OAO’s motto, Astronomy for Everyone. It will celebrate the OAO’s 10th anniversary by inviting everyone — including amateur and professional astronomers, teachers, outreach professionals and astronomy enthusiasts — to come together as a community to help make astronomy more inclusive worldwide.
15 of the events that best connect communities will win a telescope, as a special initiative of the Telescopes for All programme. The telescopes have been kindly donated by the OAO’s partners Sterren Schitteren Voor Iedereen (Stars Shine For Everyone — SSVI), Leiden University, and BRESSER. The first 100 events registered for 100 Hours of Astronomy will receive IAU Office for Astronomy Outreach goodies, including printed versions of the Communicating Astronomy with the Public Journal. For your event to be eligible, submit it to the IAU Global Outreach Events via this form before 31 September 2022 at 23:59 your local time and implement the event during the 100 Hours of Astronomy (1–4 October your local time). More information on the contest can be found here.
When spreading the word about your event on social media, be sure to use #100HoursOfAstronomy and #IAUoutreach so the OAO can help promote your activity too!
1) NameExoWorlds 2022 Competition
To celebrate the 10th anniversary of its Office for Astronomy Outreach (OAO), the International Astronomical Union (IAU) has launched a contest to name 20 exoplanetary systems to be observed by JWST. The competition, NameExoWorlds 2022, seeks to bring together both professional astronomers and the wider public, giving them the opportunity to name the 20 selected exoplanets along with their host stars. Read more here.
2) OAD to Remain in South Africa Until 2027
The International Astronomical Union (IAU) and the South African National Research Foundation (NRF) have signed an agreement to continue hosting the Office of Astronomy for Development (OAD) in South Africa until 2027.
The OAD has been hosted in South Africa since it was officially launched in 2011. Last year, an independent review of the office was commissioned. The external review found the OAD’s performance "outstanding by any standards, and exceptional given the small size of the core team, its global remit and its relatively modest resources".
3) As Wildfires Get More Extreme, Observatories Are at Greater Risk
'“People are often surprised to hear that astronomers are involved in the climate issue, because at first it might seem like there’s not much overlap,” Rector says. “But the physics of climate change is essentially the same physics we use to study the atmospheres of planets, of gaseous nebulae in our galaxy and beyond.” Astronomers also know just how rare it is for a planet to be habitable, because they study so many examples of “failed Earths,” he says. “There really, truly is nowhere else.”'
4) Europlanet Survey on Educational Resources [Content in Multiple Languages]
In recent years, the education and outreach teams in the Europlanet 2024 Research Infrastructure (RI) project, the Europlanet Society’s Outreach Working Group and the Europlanet Early Careers (EPEC) network have developed a number of resources to support the teaching of science, technology, engineering, arts and mathematics (STEAM) subjects. Among these, they have created ready-to-use planetary science and astrobiology lessons and associated hands-on activities.
They are looking to tap into the expertise of teachers, educators, and science engagement practitioners to understand how to improve the most recent resources they have developed. Europlanet is aiming to offer more adaptable, easy-to-use resources tailored to the needs of the community. They are also interested in understanding your interests, use of planetary science resources, and if/how your needs and practices have changed since the Covid-19 pandemic. Take the survey (available in 8 languages) here.
5) Post COVID-19 Extra-curricular Space Educational Activities Survey
A team of space educators from the International Astronautical Federation - Space Education and Outreach Committee (IAF SEOC) and Space Generation Advisory Council (SGAC) have developed a survey to better understand how, in a post-COVID-19 world, they can best support educational systems worldwide through engaging with teachers and instructors and implementing new space activities to foster pupils’ development of creativity and imagination. To take this survey to measure the impact of space educational activities conducted in your institution as part of post-COVID-19 recovery strategic plans, click here.
6) Updates from the IAU National Outreach Coordinators (NOCs)
a) NOC Bahrain
The NOC Bahrain, Myriam Alqassab, just concluded her Stargazer’s Summer Camp during which 20 students from a wide variety of backgrounds and nationalities enjoyed astronomy-related activities and training sessions. Watch a summary video of the Camp here.
b) NOC Bangladesh
The NOC Bangladesh, Farseem Mohammedy, has produced a brochure of their latest projects and activities. Read more here.
Additionally, the NOC Bangladesh Team has created a new volunteer translator network comprised of secondary school and undergraduate students. Their first project has been to translate the Astronomy Picture of the Day into their native language, Bangla. You can find their incredible work here.
c) NOC Haiti
Rulx Narcisse, part of the NOC Haiti team, held two talks for the general public, including how they plan to participate in the 2022 NameExoWorlds competition. You can learn about this on their website.
Another member of the NOC Haiti team, John Masken Larose, has uploaded a new video to his astronomy series in Haitian Creole. Watch it here.
d) NOC Egypt
Members of the NOC Egypt Team, along with scientists at Egypt’s National Research Institute of Astronomy and Geophysics (NRIAG), lead a project to observe and document the Sun orthogonality on the Holy of Holies in the Temple of Hibis on 6 September. This phenomenon was documented on film for the first time. View it here.
e) NOC Ethiopia
Kirubel Menberu, our NOC Ethiopia, helped The Ethiopian Space Science Society hold its annual Summer Space Training. The weeklong training included short introductory courses in Scientific Methods, Observational Astronomy, Satellite Technology, and Aerospace Engineering for high school students. So far, more than 400 students have participated in this training.
f) NOC Kuwait
Khaled Al-jaaman, our NOC Kuwait, has once again partnered with the Sheikh Abdullah Al Salem Cultural Centre to take local children on an intergalactic adventure, from the Milky Way to Andromeda Galaxy and beyond, to the JWST first images.
7) Opportunities
a) Online Course on Science Communication for Societal Impact
This course, organised by the Network for Advancing and Evaluating the Societal Impact of Science, will take place online this October (4-7). Organised for audiences from the African Continent as well as the Global South, the course will explore science communication strategies, practices and frameworks that can help science be more impactful and valuable to society so that pressing societal issues may be addressed more effectively. To register, click here.
8) Cool Resources
a) Grandes Ideas de la Astronomía [Content in Spanish]
The Office for Astronomy Education’s Big Ideas in Astronomy book is now available in Spanish. You can download this resource for free here.
b) International Science Council Webinar Series on Science Communication [Content in English]
Earlier this year, the ISC ran a series of five webinars on science communication, ranging in topic from social media to science communication in multi-institutional collaborations. You can find all of these webinars at this website.
c) Global Hands-On Universe 2022 Conference Recording [Content in English]
The Global Hands-On Universe (GHOU) is a non-profit organisation dedicated to bringing tools and resources from STEM to astronomy investigations for students and teachers around the world. Their 25th-anniversary conference was recently held online. You can find the recording here.
d) Cosmic Perspectives: Dutch Astronomy in Wider Society [Content in English]
This is a feature podcast that explores the beneficial impact of Dutch astronomy on society, from building positive international relationships to the transfer of life-changing technology. Join host, science communicator Callum Griffiths, as he delves behind the scenes of some of the biggest astronomical endeavours in recent decades to uncover new perspectives. This single-episode feature podcast is available on all main podcast platforms and through Anchor.fm.
e) TransAstronautica and Slooh Bring Access to Telescopes to US Schools [Content in English]
TransAstronautica has partnered with the online astronomy platform Slooh to bring US schools access to a global network of ground and space-based asteroid-hunting telescopes. Click here for more information. For more information about their grants programme (for US-based schools), click here. And click here to claim your free Professor Account (regardless of country).
9) IAU Office for Astronomy Outreach Newsletter in Non-English Languages
Our newsletter is being translated into the following languages:
Arabic
Translations are thanks to the members of the Bahrain Stargazers Astronomy Club.
Chinese (Simplified)
Translations are thanks to Dr Chen Cao, Shandong Astronomical Society (SDAS) of China.
Portuguese (European)
Translations are thanks to Catarina Leote and João Ferreira through the Astronomy Translation Network Portuguese Language Group.
Spanish
Translations are thanks to Andrea Ahumada of the Observatorio Astronómico, Universidad Nacional de Córdoba, and Ileana Andruchow of the Instituto Astrofísica de La Plata, Universidad Nacional de La Plata. For translations of previous Newsletters in Spanish, thanks to Emílio Zuniga of the Association of Amateur Astronomers in León, Nicaragua, click here.
If you are interested in translating the IAU Office for Astronomy Outreach Newsletter into your language, please email public@oao.iau.org.
10) Contribute to the IAU Astronomy Outreach Newsletter
We are always looking for material about astronomy outreach, communication and public engagement from around the world to include in our next IAU Office for Astronomy Outreach Newsletter. 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.
Please send us your suggestions through the 4th for issue #1 and the 17th for issue #2 of each month. We look forward to hearing from you!
