Christie McMonigal
As Global Astronomy Month draws to a close for another year I am really struck by how popular this event is across the world!
Astronomy has always been one of the most popular areas of science, but it used to be less accessible as people had to physically go to observing sessions and talks to get involved. With the advent of the internet and in particular social media that has all changed. Astronomy has come onto the online world and is reaching more people than ever before. Now we can share photos we have taken, share stories of our observing sessions and even share live online telescope viewing. This change has allowed more people to get involved, and allowed a much stronger global astronomy community to develop, as by connecting online we can be a part of astronomy events all around the world.
This GAM, we had huge numbers of groups and individuals taking part in our events and sharing their events with us online, and really helping to grow this fantastic community. So I thought what I would do to would be to share with you some of my favourite moments from the past month highlighting how amazing our global community is.
Students and lecturers coming together to view the total lunar eclipse on April 4 at the Center for Astronomical Studies Universitas Ahmad Dahlan (UAD) , Yogyakarta, Indonesia.
A public star party in Pirangut (25 km from the city of Pune), India organized by the astronomy group Akashmitra on the 11th/12th April, 2015. There were a total of 36 people for the event. Many of whom were coming for their first ever star gazing session and had heard about Akashmitra through their Facebook page
Students taking part in an astronomical workshop organised by the Libyan Scouts in Tripoli. They learnt about the formation of the solar system and the order of the planets and were shown how to control a telescope and observe sunspots.
I love this one! Arianna outside the planetarium in Bari, Italy. Just before presenting her first show and telescope viewing. From Arianna " The most amazing thing about this job is when you realize people have learnt something from you and you can make them curious and interested"
Rhythm Bhakka taking part in one of the online observing sessions run by The Virtual Telescope. What a cutie!
And finally I want to finish with this video of an event held in San Juan, Pueto Rico for people with visual impairments. This event gave participants the opportunity to learn from professionals, ask questions and have a hands on experience on the different tactile models and charts available.
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Christie McMonigal is the coordinator of Global Astronomy Month and an Australian science communicator with a strong focus on astronomy. She has worked in education and outreach with a number of organisations including Questacon - The National Science and Technology Centreand Sydney Observatory. She currently works with the University of Technology Sydney, coordinating the outreach and recruitment programs for the Faculty of Science.
Christie has a passion for sharing her love of science with the general public. She feels science, in particular physics and astronomy, is a vital part of our everyday lives and she loves to use science to engage and inspire people of all ages.
