Programs will be added as information becomes available.

The GAM 2012 Dark Skies Awareness Blog (GAM DSA Blog) brings you thoughts and programs on increasing awareness of the need for preserving our dark skies and improving conditions in light polluted areas. Go to the GAM 2012 Dark Skies Awareness Blog .

21 April, 2012 (deadline) Kids & Teens' MoonBounce Global Collaboration Mission:  Kids collaborating together on a global level to raise awareness about starlight preservation for future generations.

28, April 2012 at 18UT OPTICKS in the Dome Watch at http://www.ustream.tv/channel/opticks2012 For Global Astronomy Month 2012 we will host for the second year in a row the project OPTICKS, by media artist Daniela de Paulis (IT/NL), in collaboration with CAMRAS radio amateurs association based at Dwingeloo radio telescope (NL). OPTICKS is a live performance during which digital images are sent to the Moon in form of radio signals from a dish situated in Brazil, Poland, the UK or Switzerland and received back by Dwingeloo radio telescope in The Netherlands.

21-22 April 2012 Canadian Artist, Landon Mackenzie Resonates a Never-Ending Sky – NEUROSTAR Watch the video here: http://vimeo.com/38396403 The artwork series “Neurostar,” created by the leading Canadian artist Landon Mackenzie , will be showcased in a new video accessible from the GAM website on 21-22 April 2012.  (See the GAM website on or after 21 April for the link.)  An award-winning painter and avant-garde experimentalist in images, she is the recipient of numerous awards including the 2003 Queen Elizabeth Golden Jubilee Medal (for her outstanding contribution to art in Canada), as well as the inaugural Ian Wallace Excellence in Teaching...

14 to 15 April 2012 Spiral Galaxy, the Milky Way Unraveled Watch the video here: http://vimeo.com/11509817 A 45-minute video, describing how a group of Dutch astronomers created the first-ever map of our Milky Way Galaxy, will be shown as a feature of Global Astronomy Month on 14-15 April 2012. Leiden, April 1953:  After centuries of searching, years of waiting, months of observing and weeks of calculating, for the very first time in human history, a group of scientists looks at a map: the first map of our Galaxy, our Island in the Universe.  These scientists are some of the top...

7 to 8 April, 2012 In the Interstices of Life by Thomas Riess A video titled “Space Trip,” celebrating new works by the Austrian artist Thomas Riess, will be featured as part of AWB’s GAM AstroArt program.  Riess works at the very forefront of the artistic experience, seeking to break the limitations of painting and establish a “dialogue on the phenomenon of reality.”  Visit him on his website and visit this page on the dates mentioned above to watch his new video “In the Interstices of Life.”

8 April, 2012, at 19.00 UTC What is the link between bats and radio astronomy? Bats are amazing animals that utilize ultrasonic sound to navigate and hunt insects in the dark. Thanks to microelectronics, we now can search for bats using a device called a "batdetector". This device transforms the ultrasonic sounds into audible sounds in real-time. So in a bat’s life it’s all about waves and frequencies—just as in radio astronomy.

Be part of a chain of events traveling around the world in 30 nights... THIRTY NIGHTS OF STARPEACE is a global project inspired by the idea of sharing the starry-night experience among neighboring astronomy groups across national borders, one segment of the globe at a time, on successive nights during the month of April. It's a way of bringing to focus a spirit of fellowship, communication, and a love for the high and open sky within a specific part of the world every single night. ( Download higher resolution full poster )

What if you have only a few minutes to learn about the impact of dark skies on our lives? Ten minute audio podcasts on dark skies awareness are available at 365DaysofAstronomy.org . They’re a fun way of learning about serious light pollution issues that affect energy use, our health and wildlife. 2012: International Dark Sky Week Dark Skies in Harmony Global Astronomy Month and the Quest for the Dark (k)Night GLOBE at Night Kickoff: Seeing the Light Dark Skies Crusader Challenges Cities during February’s GLOBE at Night Campaign Dark Skies Crusader, This is Your Light! The 3rd 2012 GLOBE at...

Special planetarium program for the visually impaired. To make astronomy available to everyone during IYA2009, including those with special needs, the Spanish IYA2009 National Node created the national project called “Astronomical Activities for People with Special Needs”. As part of this project, a planetarium program for the blind, “El Cielo en tus Manos ( The Sky in Your Hands )”, was produced to bring the beauty of astronomy to the visually-impaired public. Now, in association with Astronomers Without Borders, the Astronomical Observatory of the University of Valencia has made resources for this special program available to other theaters, institutions and...