Global Astronomy Month 2020

GLOBAL ASTRONOMY MONTH - VENUS MEETS THE PLEIADES REPORT

City: Chennai

Date: 02/04/2020

Global Astronomy Month (GAM), organized in April every year by Astronomers Without Borders, is the world's largest global celebration of astronomy. For this year, SPACE has suggested several GAM events for conduction by SPACE associated schools.

HIGHLIGHTS:

• Total number of participants 500.
• Science behind the event is discussed in online video.
• This program motivated the participants to make use of this international opportunity provided by SPACE for observing the Venus-Pleiades conjunction.
• Participants were trained well and the concepts were made clear for performing the observation from their home.
• Participants observed this event personally in their residence and clicked photographs and shared with us.

DESCRIPTION:

In astronomy, a conjunction occurs when any two astronomical objects (such as asteroids, moons, planets, stars, star clusters, etc.) appear to be close together in the sky. Occasionally celestial objects seem to occupy the same space in the night sky because of their alignment - though they are in fact millions of kilometres away from each other.

A Venus-Pleiades conjunction happens every year, but these super-close conjunctions only come in early April in cycles of 8 years (every other leap year).

Through facebook video interaction participants understood the science behind it and observed this rare celestial event and shared their experience and photographs with us.

PHOTOGRAPHS:

Venus Meets Pleiades

                                      Venus- Pleiades conjunction

Position of Venus and Pleiades in the sky for one week before astronomical conjunction

CONCLUSION:

                       The participants observed this wonderful and rare event which happens once in eight years and celebrated GAM2020 in safe and interesting way.