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Member Reports from GAMBlog

May 14

2011

A Global Success

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In April 2010, Astronomers Without Borders created Global Astronomy Month (GAM) to continue the excitement of the International Year of Astronomy 2009 (IYA2009). GAM 2010 was a good start, and we anticipated having more programs and partners for this year's second edition. But what we ended up with – in participants, programs and partners – far exceeded our most optimistic expectations. The force behind this activity is easy to identify – the enthusiasm of people around the world for astronomy, in every country and culture. IYA2009 showed what can be accomplished when this enthusiasm is harnessed. GAM, like IYA2009, provides... Read More...

Apr 30

2011

GAM2011 is over, now what?

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After a month long non-stop roller costar ride of astronomy in all kinds of format, we have come to the last day of GAM2011. Before I go on about how great it has been, what's going to happened next, what to expect next year. Let's take a little breather (I know I do want one after a busy month) and see how it all came together as “ Global Astronomy Month ”. Sometime after the astronomical size event; 100 Hours of Astronomy (100HA) during International Year of Astronomy 2009 (IYA2009), the Sidewalk Astronomers guru and International Sidewalk Astronomy Night (ISAN)... Read More...

Apr 29

2011

Research and Outreach meet online and at dotAstronomy 3

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Early April. The sun shines almost horizontally at this time of the year onto the buildings of New College in Oxford. This centuries old institution has seen many students and professors since its foundation in 1379. This week however, the college is looking to the future, the future of Astronomy and new media, as it hosts .Astronomy 3. This workshop is the third in a series started in 2008 that explores and creates new tools for astronomy, from compelling outreach to citizen science and professional data mining and visualisation. It turns out that all those aspects of astronomy come together... Read More...

Apr 29

2011

Opticks - To the Moon and Back

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Back in October 2009, inspired by the July celebrations for the first Moon landing, I started my research on earth-moon-earth technology (EME), determined to make an art project with it. My mind was overwhelmed by listening for the first time to sounds that bounced off the moon's surface, their distortion being so evocative of the long journey made by the radio waves from the Earth to the Moon and back! I imagined how images and colors would look like after bouncing off the Moon's surface and that's when OPTICKS and my collaboration with the CAMRAS team began. The enthusiasm for... Read More...

Apr 24

2011

SunDay

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If you are reading this, then you probably have already seen this phrase before: April is Global Astronomy Month. This little phrase is slowly entering the minds of astronomers, be they hobby, sidewalk, or researchers of the subject. And along with this phase comes a whole range of tags, related events that are also starting to be a part of the yearly calendar of “mandatory” astronomy related events. Tags like “Global Star Party”, “Lyrid Watch”, “Saturn Watch”, and of course “SunDay”. For the third consecutive year we celebrate SunDay, the second during the “reign” of Global Astronomy Month. It all... Read More...

Apr 22

2011

Your Moon, My Moon, Our Moon

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International Observe the Moon Night (InOMN) was inspired by you. You, and people just like you, who are curious about the Moon and would like to find out more about Earth's nearest neighbor. On August 1, 2009, the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO) Education and Public Outreach (EPO) team celebrated LRO's successful journey to and orbital insertion around the Moon by hosting a public outreach event called "We're at the Moon!" at Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC) in Greenbelt, MD. That same night, the Lunar CRater Observation and Sensing Satellite (LCROSS) and NASA Lunar Science Institute (NLSI) EPO teams hosted a... Read More...

Apr 21

2011

Engaging Children With Games & Storytelling

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It starts with a question, how can we share Astronomy with children? It's a question we ask ourselves whenever we get an invitation to conduct programs for children. What should we do to engage children in Astronomy? How can we change the current methods of teaching Astronomy for Children? A usual 1-2hour program we do with children always starts with simple introduction to Astronomy. This is followed by a solar observing session using solar filters. BUT, is this enough? In order to get children engage more, we need to have something that they are familiar of, so we can build... Read More...

Apr 20

2011

Discovering and Rediscovering the Night Sky

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Dark skies are a precious resource for any budding astronomer. I would know. I grew up in Staten Island, New York. My little telescope and I fought the glare from one of the largest cities in the world for most of my formative years. In the end, I was never very good with an optical telescope. I'm still not, though that hasn't stopped me from becoming an astronomer. Family observing with DSBK. Dark skies also mean rambunctious kids, so we outfit them with glowing bracelets to keep track! Image credit: DSBK, Rachael Beaton Although many research astronomers were inspired by... Read More...

Apr 19

2011

What's up in the solar system in April 2011

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April 2011 will see MESSENGER begin the science phase of its orbital mission at Mercury, and should, I think, also see the start of Dawn's approach observations of Vesta. At Mars, Opportunity is back on the road again, rolling inexorably toward Endeavour. At Saturn, Cassini will continue its focus on Saturn and Titan science. Before I go into mission-by-mission detail, here's Olaf Frohn's marvelous map of where all of our explorers are on March 1. Compare it to last month's diagram to see how things have moved. Solar system exploration missions in April 2011. Credit: Olaf Frohn Exploring the inner... Read More...

Apr 16

2011

The Sun: Not So Boring

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As an ex-solar physicist, I've been watching the sun with fascination as its activity predictably ebbs and flows over an 11-year cycle. However, in recent years, our nearest star has delivered some surprises. In May 2009, I jokingly remarked in a Discovery News article that the "sun is being really boring." This was in response to the extended solar minimum that had turned our usually dynamic and explosive sun into a spotless, quiescent disk. Back then, the sun's lull had extended to 18 months after the start of Solar Cycle 24. Today, the sun is exploding with activity, crackling with... Read More...

Apr 15

2011

Astronomically speaking - a rough guide to creating your own podcast

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If you love astronomy and are keen to share your passion with a wide audience, one way you can go about it is through podcasting. Creating your own podcast does not require expensive equipment, and if you are reading this then it is likely that you already have access to a computer of some description, so you're half way there. The ingredients you need to get going are: a microphone, a computer, audio editing software, an internet connection, and an idea. Firstly, let's look at equipment. If you have access to a stand-alone voice recorder and microphone then that is... Read More...

Apr 15

2011

Space Scoop - Bringing news across the Universe to children around the world

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Universe Awareness has started a collaboration with the European Southern Observatory (ESO) to produce the astronomy news service Space Scoop — versions of ESO Science and Photo Releases that are written specifically for children aged between 7 and 11 years old. Space Scoop is meant to feed children's curiosity about the Universe, by allowing them to access ESO releases. This project is a contribution of UNAWE to the Global Astronomy Month 2011. Our plan is to expand the service to other astronomical organisations and institutions. If you are a teacher or educator, you can print the story and image and... Read More...

Apr 13

2011

Our Light or Starlight?

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Children can play key roles in raising awareness about light pollution. The arc or the Milky Way seen from a truly dark location is part of our planet's natural heritage. But with half of the world's population now living in cities, many urban dwellers have never experienced the wonderment of pristinely dark skies and maybe never will. So, how do you explain to them the importance of what they've lost to artificial skyglow? How can you make them aware that light pollution is a concern on many fronts: safety, energy conservation, cost, health, effects on wildlife, as well as our... Read More...

Apr 12

2011

The REAL Magic of Astronomy

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Too often, when others learn of my passion for the night sky, they mistake my astronomy for their astrology. Although I'm often frustrated by this confusion, I am not surprised. How can we expect the general population to know the difference between astrology and astronomy, when horoscopes are prevalent in nearly every print media and the stars are invisible behind the glare of light pollution? Just as science promises to break the chains of superstition, technology now threatens to enshroud us beneath its pollution. Where once we saw the stars as a common backdrop, but had not the knowledge to... Read More...

Apr 08

2011

Germany's Astronomietag coincides with the Global Star Party

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By sheer coincidence the Global Star Party will be pretty big in Germany this year which is also looking forward to generally clear skies that evening: the same April 9 had been selected - some time ago - as the date for our Astronomietag (Astronomy Day), held here annually since 2003. The first one was linked to the brilliant opposition of Mars that year and thus held in September, as were the next few Astronomietage - but there was a problem: Here at 50° North the evening ecliptic lies very flat in the fall, and thus the view of planets... Read More...

Apr 05

2011

StarPeace More Important Than Ever

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As a native of Southern California, the one place that I loved to venture to quite often was the ride called, “It's a Small World,” at Disneyland. I was reflecting on all the native costumes (die-hard seamstress) and I remembered that the lyrics are very relative to amateur astronomers world wide. Not sure if you have ever read the lyrics, they not only reflect the mission of Astronomers Without Borders, but a rally cry of StarPeace. “It's a Small World” - Disney It's a world of laughter, a world of tears, It's a world of hopes and a world of... Read More...

Apr 04

2011

Young Moon

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Timetable in April New Moon 3rd 14:32 UT (Sunday) First quarter 11th 12:05 UT (Saturday) Full Moon 18th 2:44 (Friday) Last quarter 25th 2:47 UT (Friday) April 4th and 5th Baby moon…not small, just very young During the two weeks between New and Full Moon, our cosmic neighbor is always visible in the early night sky. But, just after New Moon, our natural satellite is unfortunately still much to near the Sun in the sky to be really observable. The first chance to glimpse a very young moon this month will be on April 4th right after sunset (around 19:00... Read More...

Apr 03

2011

The Universe, Ours to Discover

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Photo credit: Babak Tafreshi/ TWAN . The International Year of Astronomy 2009 (IYA2009) was a watershed for astronomy outreach, awareness and education. Astronomy has always fascinated the public, and web sites like NASA's Astronomy Picture of the Day are among the most widely visited in the world. But IYA2009 launched new programs, brought astronomy outreach to new areas and recruited participants like never before. IYA2009 was just the beginning. The party was never meant to end when the clock struck midnight on 31 December. Many of the programs that got a start during 2009 are continuing. But just as important,... Read More...