Programs 
All programs
All programsAll GAM 2012 Programs
Programs will be added as information becomes available.
UPDATE: Two participating schools, in China and Nicaragua, have discovered new asteroids . The International Astronomical Search Collaboration (IASC=”Isaac”) is an online educational outreach program for high schools and colleges, in which students make original astronomical discoveries. Each day students receive telescopic images, only hours old and taken along the ecliptic. Using the software Astrometrica, they accurately measure the time and position of asteroids moving in the background. The measurements are recorded in a report sent to the Minor Planet Center (Harvard). Each year 5000 students from 500 schools in more than 40 countries participate in IASC asteroid searches. There...
Guidelines for GAM2012 Global Programs Each April, Astronomers Without Borders (AWB) organizes Global Astronomy Month (GAM), which provides a global audience to many programs. The first two editions of GAM in 2010 and 2011 included more than 50 programs.
April 21-22, 2012 Perhaps you've seen "shooting stars" before, but during GAM you can witness a meteor shower! The Lyrids meteor shower happens each year from about April 16 to 26 but the most are seen on April 22. Don't expect continuous meteors covering the sky but you'll still see a good display. A shower occurs when Earth goes through a swarm of material in space and the meteors appear to come from one point in the sky known as the radiant, in this case in the constellation of Lyra (giving the annual event its name). You'll see the most...
April 15, 2012 It’s time to welcome back Saturn, the “Lord of the Rings,” with Beauty Without Borders Saturn Watch 2012 - a stunning event for the mid-point of Global Astronomy Month. It’s all about sharing. Wherever you are in the world, you can join the Watchers by simply gathering a group of friends, family, or amateur astronomers from your local astronomy club - and setting up telescopes in public to share the those breathtaking views of Saturn with others. Afterward, share the pictures, stories, or poems you create from the event with others on the AWB web site.
Is there is a single day set aside emphasizing the right to starlight? World Night in Defence of the Starlight happens on April 20 every year to remind us of the need to preserve our right to view a dark night sky full of stars and to take steps to prevent its disappearance. The World Night in Defence of the Starlight is promoted annually as part of our cultural, scientific and environmental heritage. Activities can include switching off lights at night to recover the stars and save energy. You can organize artistic competitions, exhibitions, media campaigns, or conferences on the...
What if you like photographing the night sky? From 1 to 22 April, an on-line “ Earth and Sky ” photo contest will be open for submission by photography enthusiasts from around the world. The contest theme, “ Dark Skies Importance ,” has two categories: “ Beauty of the Night Sky ” and “ Against the Lights .” Photos submitted to the contest should aim to address either category: either to impress people on how important and amazing the starry sky is or to impress people on how bad the problem of light pollution has become. Both categories illustrate how...
What is a good way to help preserve the night sky? International Dark-Sky Week 14 - 20 April The week of 14 - 20 April celebrates International Dark Sky Week (IDSW). It’s a great time to host a neighborhood star party and introduce the idea of preserving a dark night sky to your community. A poster child example is the community of Harmony, Florida with their Dark Sky Festival on April 14. The main goal of IDSW is to raise awareness of the value of maintaining dark skies. Another goal of IDSW is to encourage efficient use of outdoor lighting....
Following the outstanding success of live online observing events conducted by Virtual Telescope in Italy, Global Astronomy Month 2012 (GAM2012) will again have special online observing programs throughout the month. Exciting activities using advanced, remotely-accessible observatories will include online guided cosmic shows, free personal remote observing sessions, and special discounts for observing time for those who want to do more. Discover the benefits of remote astronomy and enjoy the sky from the comfort of your own home.
The GAM 2012 Astropoetry Contest was a great success, with a total of 73 poems submitted for judging. Our thanks to all the fine poets, young and old, who contributed their work to the contest and helped make Global Astronomy Month a memorable event. Thanks also to our sponsors—Celestron, Hotech, Sky & Telescope, and Woodland Hills Telescope & Camera—for their generous donation of prizes. Read the winning poems . Following are the winning entries, and the prizes awarded: ADULT CATEGORY (age 18 and over): First Place: “Star Gazing,” by Robert A. Wilcox, Los Angeles, California, U.S.A. Prize: AstroMaster 130EQ telescope...
26 April 2012, at 18:00 UT New date, rescheduled due to weather Would you like to explore the many treasures of the famous Messier Catalogue from home? Would you like to see as many of them as possible, in a single night? This is what is called a Messier Marathon! Following the huge popularity of the 2010 and 2011, an online Messier Marathon will again open GAM using our robotic telescopes, providing real time images and live comments. All this while chatting and sharing your passion and excitement with friends from all around the world. To join this free event,...
