There are five simple steps to participate:
1. Choose a group in another country by zone:
Using geographical longitude as a reference the Earth is divided into ten equal segments, each one spanning 36 degrees of longitude. Countries in each of these 10 segments will have a period of three days to collaborate and plan an event together. Often times it is impossible to arrange an event due to weather so astronomers are welcomed to join another time zone to achieve the StarPeace goal. In some cases, groups have participated in all three nights with various and different people each night.
Starting at 180 degrees longitude – also known as the International Dateline, StarPeace will proceed westward in 3-day increments. So, countries located between 180 and 144 degrees east longitude will pick a night from April 1st to April 3rd for their public star party. Countries located in the next zone between 144 and 108 degrees east will have the April 4th through 6th dates and continue to proceed around the globe. When it is all said and done, the whole month of April will have countries crossing their borders and sharing their night time sky with each other. Listed below are the dates and zones for the countries moving westward from 180 degrees from the International Dateline.
2. Make a Connection - Find a StarPeace group in another country:
You can view the zones below to gather the information you will need for the form.
You MUST be logged in, and be the administrator of an Affiliate Group to complete the form.
Once approved, you will be paired up by the 30NSP team. If you have additional question, please contact [email protected]
3. StarPeace Communication Planning:
Hot spots, laptops, cell phones, mobile devices, webcasts, video cameras, Skype and Google Hangouts, are ways that groups can connect. If live sessions cannot be done, groups can tweet, or post pictures and comments on Facebook. Some groups have talked on cell phones during their events, which is also a great way to reach over a border. In some countries, they do not have reliable Internet or cell phone coverage, so in some cases it's okay not to have live communication, but you could post photos on social media after the star party. Be creative!
4. The star parties happen with lots of communication between groups!
5. Reporting Results: Stay tuned for instructions on reporting.
Zones
|
Dates of April Moving Westward |
Countries |
|
ZONE -1: 180* - 144* International Dateline 1st, 2nd , & 3rd Monday to Wednesday |
East Australia, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, Pacific Islands, Russia(East), Aleutian Islands, Marshall Islands, Micronesia Fiji, Solomon Islands |
|
ZONE - 2: 144* - 108* 4th ,5th ,6th Thursday to Saturday |
Russia, East Mongolia, Vietnam, Brunei, Indonesia, Philippines, East China, Japan, North Korea, South Korea, West Australia, Borneo, Taiwan |
|
ZONE - 3: 10* - 72* 7th ,8th ,9th Sunday to Tuesday |
Russia(Central), East Kazakhstan, Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan, East Pakistan, India, Nepal, Bhutan, Bangladesh, West China, West Mongolia, Burma, Thailand, Cambodia, Malaysia, Laos, Sri Lanka, Cambodia, Sumatra, Maldives |
|
ZONE - 4: 72* to 36* 10th ,11th ,12th Wednesday to Friday |
Russia(West), East Ukraine, Turkey, Georgia, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Iran, Turkmenistan, Afghanistan, Uzbekistan, West Kazakhstan, Iraq, Syria, Lebanon, Jordan, Israel, Saudi Arabia, Palestine, Oman, Emirates, West Pakistan, Qatar, Kuwait, Bahrain, Eritrea, Djibouti, Ethiopia, Somalia, Kenya, Tanzania, Malawi, Mozambique, Madagascar, Cyprus, Yemen |
|
ZONE - 5: 36* to 0* 13th ,14th ,15th Saturday to Monday |
Svalbard, Norway, Sweden, Finland, France, Netherland, Germany, Italy, Belgium, Luxemburg, Denmark, Switzerland, Austria, Slovenia, Croatia, Hungary, Bosnia- Herzegovina, Slovak Rep., Czech Rep., Albania, Macedonia, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, RUS., Belarus, West Ukraine, Romania, Moldova, Bulgaria, Greece, West Turkey, East Algeria, Niger, Nigeria, Benin, Cameroon, Chad, Egypt, Sudan, Gabon, Congo, African Rep., Uganda, Tanzania, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Botswana, Angola, Namibia, South Africa, Sicily, Malta, Poland, Rwanda, Lestho, Swaziland, Lybia, Burundi, Equitoral Guinea, De Rep of Congo, Sao Tomes and Principe, Tunisia, Croatia, Serbia |
|
ZONE - 6: 0* to 36* 16th ,17th ,18th Tuesday to Thursday |
East Greenland, Iceland, Ireland, United Kingdom, France, Spain, Portugal, Morocco, West Algeria, Western Sahara, Mauritania, Mali, Senegal, Cape Verde, The Gambia, Guinea-Bissau, Guinea, Burkina Faso, Ghana, Cote D’Ivoire, Liberia, Sierra Leone, Togo, St. Helena, Canary Islands |
|
ZONE - 7: 36* to 72* 19th ,20th ,21st Friday to Sunday |
East Canada: New Foundland, Labrador, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island, West Greenland, Venezuela, Guyana, Suriname, Brazil, Colombia(East), Bolivia, Paraguay, Uruguay, Argentina, Trinidad/Tobago, Grenada, Haiti/Dominican Republic, Virgin Islands, Puerto Rico, Turks, Falkland Islands, Eastern US States: Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Connecticut, Rhode Island, Delaware |
|
ZONE - 8: 72* to 108* 22nd ,23rd ,24th Monday to Wednesday |
Central and East Canada: Quebec, Ontario, Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Nunavut Territory, Eastern & Central US States: New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Maryland, Washington D.C., Virginia, West Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, Florida, Ohio, Michigan, Indiana, Kentucky, Tennessee, Alabama, Mississippi, Wisconsin, Illinois, Minnesota, Iowa, Missouri, Arkansas, Louisiana, North Dakota, South Dakota, Nebraska, Kansas, Oklahoma, Texas, Eastern Montana, Wyoming, Colorado & New Mexico, East Mexico, Guatemala, Belize, Honduras, El Salvador, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, Panama, Ecuador, Peru, Cuba, Chile, Colombia(west), Cayman Islands, Jamaica, Bahamas |
|
ZONE - 9: 108* to 144* 25th ,26th ,27th Thursday to Saturday |
West Canada: Alberta, British Columbia, Northwest Territory, Yukon Territory, Western US: Western Montana, Idaho, Utah, Arizona, Alaskan Panhandle, Washington, Oregon, California, Channel Islands, Catalina, Nevada, Baja California, West Mexico, Baja |
|
ZONE -10: 144* to 180* International Dateline 28th ,29th ,30th Sunday to Tuesday |
Alaska, Hawaii, Samoa, American Samoa, Tonga, Cook Islands, Tahiti, French Polynesia and Kiribati
|
Helpful Hints:
1. Make sure (some) astronomy club members have binoculars and telescopes.
2. Secure a dark spot for your event – the darker the better.
3. Spotlight the main objects like the moon, and planets. Of course add in a few clusters and galaxies if you can.
4. Make sure your public knows they are going to be part of an international mission and let them know what countries they will be joining that night.
5. Have information on these objects and the countries participating, and offer the crowd some wonderful facts and information on what you are showing them.
6. Get the word out and encourage other groups and the media to join you.
7. For virtual star parties, spread the word on how to use Google Hangouts, Skype and other live connecting software.
Share your experience and your stories:
Since there is no other project like this it is important to share your experiences with the world. Share your event images with us during your zone period via Facebook or the Flickr group or Tweet using #StarPeace hashtag. Follow @gam_awb and @starpeace to keep updated on events around the world.
The Discover the COSMOS Challenge is a great opportunity, open to teachers, trainers, and students from all over the world. Read more.
Check out our Observing Resources and People with Disabilities Astronomy Resources.
StarPeace began in 2009 as one of the Special Projects of the International Year of Astronomy. The goal has and will continue to be a call for peace from the four corners of the world, while sharing a song of love for the boundless and borderless sky.
