The IAU Office for Astronomy Outreach (IAU OAO) bridges the International Astronomical Union (IAU) with the global astronomy community of amateur astronomers, outreach practitioners, educators, communicators, and the general public. The office manages a number of programmes through international collaboration to make the science of astronomy accessible to all.
The IAU OAO is a joint project of the IAU and the National Astronomical Observatory of Japan (NAOJ). The IAU OAO is located on the NAOJ Mitaka Campus in Mitaka, Japan.
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Ongoing Programmes
Click on the name for each programme to learn more about it.
Community
The IAU National Outreach Coordinators Network act as a point-of-contact for national and territorial astronomical outreach and the implementation of IAU outreach programming.
Find local and international astronomy events through the community-generated IAU Global Outreach Events Calendar.
The lead-up to the release of JWST's first images has sparked an incredible amount of public engagement and outreach activities around the globe. Join this global community.
The Online Astronomy@Home Awards recognise the efforts of astronomy outreach practitioners in reaction to effects of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Outreach
Bring an IAU-member astronomer into your classroom, museum, or astronomy club meeting with the Meet the IAU Astronomers! programme.
A volunteer network of translators translate top-level astronomy outreach resources for better access to astronomical activities around the world.
A list of virtual resources to learn about astronomy, created in partnership with the IAU offices as a response to COVID-19.
Professional Development
Programmes to support the professional development of astronomy communicators.
Resources for creating astronomy outreach events or programming accessible to audiences of all abilities.
Annual visitors programme to the IAU Office for Astronomy Outreach.
A training programme to improve international ties between NARIT, NAOJ, and the IAU Office for Astronomy Outreach.
IAU Global Outreach Projects
The IAU Outreach Global Projects are annual international outreach activities officially endorsed by the IAU. These activities are generally celebrated around particular events and independent organisers internationally are invited to join in these IAU outreach initiatives.
Click on the name for each project to learn more about it.
A project to honour the contribution of women and girls in astronomy. Most events run throughout February and March.
An annual project to bring telescopes to underserved communities across the globe.
A project to raise awareness of the need for dark and quiet skies, centred around the month of May.
An event of 100 hours of continuous astronomy in October.
Publications
View publications from the office, created for use by astronomy outreach practitioners and for the public to learn more about the IAU.
Online-only Publications
Printable Publications
Partnerships
The IAU Office for Astronomy Outreach is a partnership between the International Astronomical Union (IAU) and National Astronomical Observatory of Japan (NAOJ), and is hosted at the NAOJ Mitaka Campus in Mitaka, Japan.
IAU OAO collaborations include:
Past Projects and Events
Projects