The present continues to be an exciting time for the IAU Office for Astronomy Outreach and the IAU as a whole. We are now preparing the next CAPjournal, with which we are collaborating closely with our friends at the IAU Office of Astronomy for Development (OAD). This new edition will be launched early next year and will focus on astronomy and development, highlighting how outreach can potentiate development and how the outreach community is using astronomy and outreach to implement Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
Also, our IAU family is growing! So we send a warm welcome to our new colleagues at the IAU Office of Astronomy for Education (OAE), which will be hosted at the Haus der Astronomie in Heidelberg, Germany. The new director of this office, Markus Pössel, has been our National Outreach Coordinator (NOC) for Germany for many years and we are excited to continue working with him and the new team.
Lastly, in this issue, in addition to the latest announcement of the new Office of Astronomy for Education, we highlight the success of IAU100 Astronomy Day in Schools and the Astronomy Around the World video series.
Wishing you all clear skies,
Lina Canas & Izumi Hansen, on behalf of the IAU Office for Astronomy Outreach Team
1) The IAU Office of Astronomy for Education Will Be Hosted By the Haus der Astronomie
The IAU has selected Haus der Astronomie (HdA), an astronomy outreach centre based in Heidelberg, Germany, as the location for its new Office of Astronomy for Education (OAE). First announced last year, the OAE will be established to promote astronomy in education and to achieve the education-related goals set out in the IAU Strategic Plan 2020–2030. HdA’s hosting the OAE was made possible through the support of the German foundations Klaus Tschira Stiftung and Carl-Zeiss-Stiftung.
2) Object (486958) 2014 MU69 Officially Named Arrokoth
The most distant object ever to have been visited by a spacecraft has been given a new name: Arrokoth. The object, (486958) 2014 MU69, became widely known by its nickname, Ultima Thule, after the New Horizons probe flew by it on New Year’s Day this year. Arrokoth, which means “Sky” in the Powhatan/Algonquian language, is now its official and permanent name, having been approved by the IAU Working Group for Small Body Nomenclature (WGSBN).
3) International School of Young Astronomers 2020-1 Applications Open
The 43rd International School for Young Astronomers, ISYA2020Mex, will take place in San Cristóbal de las Casas, Mexico, from 8-26 June 2020, at the Autonomous University of Chiapas (UNACH). Applications to attend are open until 1 February 2020.
The International School for Young Astronomers (ISYA) is a long-standing project of the International Astronomical Union (IAU) and is now co-sponsored by the Norwegian Academy of Science and Letters (NASL) through the Office for Young Astronomers (OYA). The 43rd school will be jointly organised by the UNACH and the Mesoamerican Center for Theoretical Physics (MCTP).
4) Under One Sky: Astronomy Around the World Video Series
In the framework of the 100th anniversary celebrations of the IAU (IAU100), the Under One Sky: Astronomy Around the World series provides a glimpse into the diverse worldwide astronomical community. Through the eyes of the IAU National Outreach Coordinators, we learn firsthand from astronomers about the history of astronomy, current research efforts in space science, and how astronomy is celebrated in different countries. These videos also have insight into the activities developed during the IAU100 celebrations throughout 2019.
5) Students Learn About Astronomy Through the IAU100 Astronomy Day in Schools Global Project
The Astronomy Day in Schools global initiative was celebrated from10-17 November. Over 300 events and activities have taken place in 70 countries worldwide, including some that capitalised on the transit of Mercury on 10 November 2019.
6) Astronomy Discovery Days to Celebrate IAU100 in December in Togo
The public is invited to come to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the IAU on 19-20 December 2019 at “Astronomy Discovery Days in Togo” around the theme of Astronomy, Education, and Sustainable Development. The event will celebrate the history of the IAU as well as present exhibits related to IAU100. The Togo IAU National Committee in collaboration with Lomé University will host the event.
We want to send a warm thank you to Togo IAU National Committee for sharing the news.
7) Argentina Celebrates the IAU’s 100 Anniversary
The 100th anniversary of the IAU was celebrated in Tucumán province in northwestern Argentina, thanks to The Center for Disruptive Technology of the University of San Pablo Tucumán (USPT). Approximately 100 people attended the exhibition UN CIELO PARA TOCAR, to show astronomy for people who are blind and visually impaired. The exhibit featured objects created by the Center with advisors Alberto Yraidini, who is blind; Mariana Agustina Romano, who is visually impaired; and Mabel Luna, a braille instructor. Yraidini sang his composition “UN CIELO PARA TOCAR” ("ONE SKY TO PLAY").
We want to send a warm thank you to The Center for Disruptive Technology and Olga Pintado for sharing the news. And to our NOC for Argentina Beatriz Garcia for placing us in contact.
8) Communication Resources and Training from the Mountains of Stars in Northeastern USA
The Mountains of Stars outreach programme hosts a summer science communication training programmes in the northeastern USA for undergraduate science students. The programme has also gathered science communication resources for the general public and offers a password-protected resource section for science communication practitioners. You can contact them for the password through their website.
Here you can find a list of astronomy outreach & education conferences and events around the world. Plan ahead for a very special year for astronomy full of interesting events!
b) Robotic Telescopes, Student Research and Education Conference
Date: 8-11 December 2019
Location: Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
More information: https://rtsre.net/
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;
- Translations into Italian are available by Eleonora Piromalli, AstronomiAmo, from Italy here: https://www.astronomiamo.it/DivulgazioneAstronomica/Newsletter-IAU/last
- Translations into Russian are available by Artem Mokhnaktin, Central Astronomical Observatory of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Pulkovo. You can find the latest translations of the newsletter here.
- Translations into (European) Portuguese are available, carried out by Catarina Leote, João Ferreira & Jonas Souza through the Astronomy Translation Network (ATN) Portuguese Language Group (the previous issue can be found here).
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 2019
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 2019! 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.
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.
