We are very excited to announce the 100 Hours of Astronomy 2023 Global Project. This year's theme is One Planet, a recognition of our interconnectedness as we live on and protect this planet we call home. We invite you to join us from 1-4 October in the lead-up to World Space Week 2023. Please see the feature below for more information.
In this Newsletter, we also have many other exciting resources and opportunities to share with you. For example, the IAU Center for the Protection of the Dark and Quiet Sky from Satellite Constellation Interference Community Engagement Hub has released its new set of educational videos on satellite constellations, SatCons 101. Follow the links below for more information! There are also many opportunities to participate in the global science communication community, including several conferences, workshops, grant opportunities, and more. Don't forget to check out the resources below to learn more about Indigenous astronomy from multiple parts of the world, dive deeper into trust, and examine the implications of space exploration with Kainaat Studios' new series, Chai on the Moon.
Our National Outreach Coordinators continue to build bridges with their communities to inspire the next generation of scientists. We are so proud to have them as a part of the OAO community. We are also deeply thankful for the work of our translators, who bring this Newsletter to you in eight languages.
May your skies be dark and quiet,
Kelly Blumenthal, on behalf of the IAU Office for Astronomy Outreach Team
100 Hours of Astronomy 2023
Join the IAU Office for Astronomy outreach for a 100-hour, round-the-clock, round-the-globe celebration of astronomy aimed at engaging as many people as possible – from children to seniors – with the sky and sharing the wonders of our astronomical surroundings.
From 1 to 4 October 2023, the IAU Office for Astronomy Outreach (OAO) will continue the legacy of celebrating 100 Hours of Astronomy. This year’s theme is One Planet. We aim to create an experience that fosters a sense of unity, connection, and togetherness among the public, inspired by the camaraderie astronauts feel when returning from space missions, called the Overview Effect. This series of events will celebrate the beauty of our shared planet and promote global cooperation, environmental stewardship, and a collective commitment to a better future.
To participate, consider registering your event on our Event Calendar using this form. They will be displayed for all to see at this link. The first 50 events that enter their information will receive goodies from the OAO, including printed copies of the most recent CAPjournal issues.
We will also host an art contest centred on the theme of the Overview Effect and interconnectedness. We invite anyone to submit a piece of art in any creative medium to the OAO using this form by 10 October 2023, 23:59 UTC. By sending us your piece of art, you agree for it to be shared on the IAU OAO social media pages, with your name linked to it. We will randomly select two entries to win a telescope courtesy of Sterren Schitteren Voor Iedereen (Stars Shine For Everyone - SSVI), University Ghent - Dept. Physics and Astronomy, Leiden University, and BRESSER.
1) SatCons 101 SatCons 101 is a new educational tool from the International Astronomical Union’s (IAU) Centre for the Protection of the Dark and Quiet Sky from Satellite Constellation Interference (CPS), co-hosted by the NSF’s NOIRLab and the SKA Observatory (SKAO) on behalf of the International Astronomical Union (IAU). The curriculum presents participants with information that will help bring awareness to the developing issue of satellite constellations, including their primary impacts and possible mitigation strategies.
2) Global Sky Clubs
The Las Cumbres Observatory (LCO) is offering a new program exclusively for astronomy clubs in schools that want to perform research projects or investigations. LCO provides 10 hours of time on its 10 x 0.4m telescope network exclusively for projects in schools that involve school students.
3) Registration for the International Observe the Moon Night is Now Open! The following is a repeat entry from our August 2023 OAO Newsletter:
Saturday, 21 October, is International Observe the Moon Night! This is a day each year that everyone on Earth is invited to observe, learn about, and honour our cultural and personal connections to the Moon. It’s a time to catch up on what’s been happening in lunar science and exploration, celebrate the Moon in arts and culture, and connect with lunar enthusiasts around the world.
You can participate in International Observe the Moon Night from wherever you are.
Attend or host a virtual or in-person event at your institution or in your community, or observe the Moon with your family, friends or on your own.
4) World Space Week 2023 As declared by the United Nations in 1999, World Space Week takes place every year between 4 and 10 October to commemorate the launch of Sputnik 1 on 4 October 1957, and the 10 October 1969 Treaty on Principles Governing the Activites of States in the Exploration and Peaceful Uses of Outer Space, including the Moon and Other Celestial Bodies. Since then, World Space Week has engaged the international public in STEM activities, from space outreach events at the world’s space agencies to school events and beyond. To register your event for World Space Week 2023, visit their website.
5) Updates from the IAU National Outreach Coordinators (NOCs) a) Libya
Last August, in collaboration with the Friends of the Mountain group, the NOC Libya team held a sky camp in the mountainous city of Yafran, located in western Libya. Nighttime attendees were treated to spectacular views of the Moon, Jupiter, and Saturn using the Telescopes for All 2022 BRESSER telescope. By day, the group shifted their focus to the environment, not only engaging in insightful conversations for our planet but also taking tangible action by watering trees in the area.
b) Palestine
During the month of August, the NOC Palestine Team held an astronomical camp for children and another for youth. The children's camp featured many training workshops and introduced the children to the basics of astronomy and how to use telescopes. About 40 children took part in this 4-day camp. The youth camp coincided with the Perseid meteor shower, and featured a full night of lectures, events, workshops, observations, and astrophotography. Mainly comprising of university students, there were nearly 120 young men and women in attendance.
c) Benin and Togo
The NOCs from Benin and Togo are planning a NOCs Funding Scheme project called Star and Planet Detectives in Schools. Stay tuned for more information about how this project develops by following their facebook pages (here and here)
6) Opportunities
a) Communicating Discoveries in the Search for Life in the Universe
This workshop will discuss communication strategies that might become invaluable if (and perhaps, when) we discover extraterrestrial life in the Universe. Taking place in February 2024, this virtual workshop will bridge astrobiology and science communication through presentations, conversations, and activities. Applications to participate are due in mid-November.
b) Sound Matters: Interdisciplinary Explorations Into Audio Knowledge Production
The South African Research Chair in Science Communication, The Academic Citizen, and the South African Journal of Science are organising a free virtual symposium, Sound Matters, which will investigate the possibilities for audio communication and data analysis.
c) Grant Opportunity: Space for All Fund
The UK Space Agency has allocated £500,000 to promote young people’s engagement in STEM under its Space for All Fund for 2023–2025. Individual awards will likely be between £50,000 and £100,000. From their website:
"Our aim is to:
develop new ways to reach young people from all backgrounds, that are modern and relevant to the technologies they are accustomed to, their values and social environments;
encourage young people to pursue STEM education by using the exciting and inspiring context of space;
increase the prevalence of regular, long-standing interventions and projects in the UK that will make a lasting impact on the choices of young people;
inspire, support, engage and encourage students throughout their academic and social journeys into the world of work;
sustain students through periods where they may otherwise be unsupported and lose focus and interest in STEM."
d) Volunteer to Assist Libraries in the United States During Eclipse Season
This October and next April, parts of the United States will witness an annular and total eclipse (respectively). Libraries across the country are preparing for these events, but need support from amateur astronomers, astronomy outreach practitioners, science educators, or scientists to hold and support a variety of events.
e) Institute of Physics Communicators Conference
The IoP will hold its Communicators Conference in late November 2023, calling all from academia to outreach practitioner to industry to discuss ways to improve the practice of science communication. Abstract submission will close on 29 September, but free online and in-person registration will remain open.
a) Étoile du Nord [Content in French and English]
The National Film Board of Canada has released a new documentary series that focuses on the experiences of a young, Quebec-born Innu astrophysicist, Laurie Rousseau-Nepton. From the English website: “Drawing on a worldview rooted in a love of nature, as well as her talents as a science communicator, [Dr Rousseau-Nepton] shares her passion for the study of celestial objects. Ranging from Ashuapmushuan to Wendake, Hawai’i and Mont-Mégantic, Laurie’s inspiring journey will leave viewers starry-eyed.”
b) Research Highlight: What is Trust? [Content in English]
Science communication researchers, John Besley and Leigh Anne Tiffany, looked into whether commonly used metrics for measuring trust and trustworthiness are accurate indicators of the public’s perceptions of trustworthiness or behavioural trust. The results are inconclusive. To learn more about this work, you can find the SciComm Bites summary here.
c) Free Book on Indigenous Astronomy in Brazil [Content in Portuguese and Tupi-Guarani]
The book “O Céu dos Índios de Dourados – MS” (The Sky of Dourados' Indians), by Germano Bruno Afonso and Paulo Souza da Silva, was published in 2011 by Editora da Universidade Estadual de Mato Grosso do Sul and funded by the Brazilian agency CNPq. This book presents the astronomical knowledge of people from the Dourados region, in the Brazilian state of Mato Grosso do Sul.
d) Kainaat Studios [English and Urdu]
Kainaat Studios, one of the OAO’s partners, has published a number of videos in recent months. They have begun a new interview series called Chai on the Moon, which, in this era of expanding presence in outer space and humanity’s hopes to use the Moon as a launching pad for further space exploration, asks some important questions: Who owns the Moon? What rights will workers have on a lunar settlement? How will culture and religion evolve on the Moon? The trailer and first two episodes of Chai on the Moon can be found here.
In addition, their primary YouTube channel, Kainaati Gup Shup, has released two videos in Urdu (with English subtitles):
e) Space Scoop: Magnetars Origin Story [Content currently in English]
Space Scoop produces articles on the latest in astronomy and space science in easy-to-understand language. Don’t miss their weekly updates, including stories from many of the world’s space agencies and ground-based observatories! Learn about how astronomers are discovering how magnetars form in this Space Scoop. If you would like to help Space Scoop get translated into more of the world’s languages, email them at info@unawe.org.
8) 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.
French
Translations are thanks to the Club d'Astronomie de Tabarre (CAT), a subset of the Haitian Astronomical Society (SHA). Translations of previous Newsletters into French were thanks to the Haitian Translation Group of Astronomy and are still available on this page.
Galician
Translations of the OAO Newsletter into Galician until March 2023 are thanks to Martin Pawley of the Agrupación Astronómica Coruñesa Ío in Spain.
Italian
Translations are thanks to Eleonora Piromalli of AstronomiAmo in Italy.
Portuguese (European)
Translations are thanks to João Ferreira and Frederico Arez 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.
9) 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.
The Newsletter will be published on the last day of each month. For publication in the next Newsletter, please send us your suggestions by the 10th of each month. We look forward to hearing from you!
