The IAU100 celebrations are already underway and in 2019 our IAU Astronomy Newsletter will play an important role disseminating and highlighting all relevant IAU100 news for the outreach and education community around the world. Through our newsletter, you’ll be able to find out first hand about international competitions, collaboration opportunities, global projects, and much more. Additionally, and following our current work in our newsletter in highlighting inspirational examples and best practices of outreach and education activities, we want to further disseminate your work through our newsletter. You can reach out to us via outreach@iau.org and we will further promote your activities.
In this issue, we highlight the naming the satellite competition, the new iStar database of Astronomy Education Research and introduce you to music inspired by Astronomy.
Don’t forget the Communicating Astronomy with the Public Conference Call for Proposals deadline on October 15, 2018. Don’t miss the chance to host CAP2020! And come work in our office here in Japan! We have an opening for the International Outreach Coordinator position. The deadline for applications is October 15, 2018.
Wishing you all Happy Reading & Clear Skies!
The IAU Office for Astronomy Outreach Team
1) Become an IAU partner
In 2019, we are commemorating 100 years of the International Astronomical Union by organising a global celebration of Astronomy and its importance for society, together “Under One Sky”. Your organization now has the opportunity to join these celebrations by partnering with us to reach millions around the globe.
The Subaru Telescope 3D models website
As you may know, the Subaru Telescope is a Japanese 8.2-m optical-infrared telescope located on Maunakea, Hawaii, USA (operated by NAOJ: National Astronomical Observatory of Japan).
The website of its tactile model(s) is now up at: http://prc.nao.ac.jp/3d/index_e.html in both English and Japanese.
Feel free to download the package(s) of 3D printable (stl) files and enjoy printing the telescope model(s)!
Special exhibition at the Japan Braille Library
The Japan Braille Library in Tokyo has a small exhibition room called “the Tactile Museum”. The special exhibition entitled “Touch the Universe” started on August 17 and runs until December 22. On display are not only Subaru Telescope models, but also Moon and Mars tactile models (by A Touch of the Universe), solar system models (with braille labels) from UNAWE’s Universe in a Box, and other materials.
3) News from Australia
PULSE@Parkes Observing Sessions
All set for the opening of another PULSE@Parkes observing sessions, from 18 October to March 2019. PULSE@Parkes is a project that provides Australian high school students the opportunity to control the famous Parkes radio telescope to observe pulsars under the guidance of professional astronomers. The data analysed ultimately may help us to discover a new pulsar. The international component of PULSE@Parkes is normally done in conjunction with local collaborators, (e.g. tour to New Zealand). Interested international groups can contact Robert Hollow at robert.hollow[at]csiro.au.
Name the Satellite Competition
Cubesats are extremely small satellites, in the form of 10 cm cubes and with a mass of up to 1 kg. Learners from South Africa in grades 4 – 12 are invited to name South Africa’s nano-satellite ZACube-2. Students can win a laptop, a 3D model for their school, and a visit to the construction of the satellite in Cape Town. ZACube-2 was designed and built mainly by postgraduate students at the Cape Peninsula University of Technology (CPUT) in conjunction with the South African National Space Agency (SANSA) as part of the CubeSat programme. Deadline: 12 November 2018.
5) The Sun, Our Living Star: New ESO Planetarium Show
ESO is proud to announce a brand new addition to its collection of free high-quality planetarium materials produced by world-renowned astrophotographers, artists, technicians, and musicians. The Sun, Our Living Star tells the story of our nearest star — our planet’s powerhouse, the source of energy that drives Earth’s winds and weather, and the ball of light that allows the very existence of life. The Sun, Our Living Star is currently being shown in the planetarium of the ESO Supernova, since 7 September, and is also available to download for free from the ESO website.
6) iStar database - Repository for Astronomy Education Research
iSTAR Database's goal is to make all astronomy education research available to researchers and educators across the globe, free of charge. iSTAR invites all communities of astronomy education researchers to use the database to develop and extend collaborations; inform policy, funding and educational decisions; and share in the voice, perspective and experience of astronomy education research. You can join them by uploading works related to astronomy education research!
A new annotated guide (part of a series devoted to resources for enjoying or teaching astronomy) features over 250 pieces of music inspired by serious astronomy, including both classical and popular music. YouTube links are given for the vast majority, so you can listen to them. Among the pieces included is a Hubble Space Telescope cantata, rock songs about black holes with reasonable science, operas about Galileo, Kepler, and Einstein, a supernova piano sonata, and many more.
You can access this guide directly by going to: http://bit.ly/astronomymusic. The collection of resource guides, including one on plays inspired by astronomy, is at: http://www.fraknoi.com/resource-guides-on-astronomy-education/ (Our warm thank you to Andrew Fraknoi for sharing this news item with us.)
8) ESA-GTTP Teacher Training Workshop 2018
The ESA/GTTP Teacher Training workshop 2018 will take place from 20 to 23 November at the European Space Research and Technology Centre (ESTEC) in Noordwijk, the Netherlands. This series of ESA teacher workshops is run in association with the Galileo Teacher Training Programme (GTTP) and returns for its ninth edition. Applications are due by 09:00 CEST on Monday 1 October 2018.
e) Starmus Festival V: A Giant Leap
Date: 24–29 June 2019
Location: Bern, Switzerland
More information: https://www.starmus.com/
f) 3rd Workshop on Dissemination and Education of Astronomy (WDEA III)
Dates: 2 July (Solar Eclipse), 4- 5 July 2019
Location: San Juan, Argentina
More information at http://sion.frm.utn.edu.ar/WDEAIII/
Have we missed something? Then share your astronomy outreach and education international meetings or events with us via outreach@iau.org.
10) IAU Astronomy Outreach Newsletter in other languages
- Translations into Serbian are available, by Dr Liliana Gracanin from Serbia: https://twitter.com/IAU_srpski ;
- Translations into Japanese are available, carried out by Akihiko Tomita through the Astronomy Translation Network: http://bit.ly/2xlNyCR. If you want to receive the Japanese newsletter translation, please subscribe to the Japanese Amateur Astronomers Association here: http://www.jaaa-astro.jp/jaaa-ml.html, or the Japanese Society for Education and Popularization of Astronomy here: http://www.tenkyo.net/;
- Translations into Galician are available, by Martin Pawley, Agrupación Astronómica Coruñesa Ío, in Spain here: http://agrupacionio.com/gl/tag/boletin-iau
- Translations into Spanish are available by Emílio Zuniga, the Association of Amateur Astronomers from León, Nicaragua: http://asafile.blogspot.jp/p/blog-page_12.html;
If you are interested in translating our newsletter into your language, please let us know via outreach@iau.org.
11) Contributions to the IAU Outreach Newsletter—looking forward to hearing from you in 2018
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 2018! 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 outreach@iau.org.
