IAU Astronomy Outreach Newsletter

2016 #11 June #2

In this newsletter:

0. From the Editors
1. Eclipse September 2016 - call for activities
2. National Outreach Contacts (NOCs) corner: News from Argentina
3. First Arab Winter School for Astrophysics
4. Asteroid Day
5. Astrobabies: Astronomy in the first childhood / Astrobebés: Astronomía en la primera infancia (in Spanish)
6. AstrOlympics
7. UNAWE celebrates ten year anniversary with competitions
8. Teacher Training on Kepler’s Laws and Modern Astronomy
9. Meetings & global events for 2016
   a. Recently added
   b. Important deadlines
   c. Upcoming
10. Contributions to IAU Outreach Newsletter for 2016

0) From the Editors

Last May, we asked the outreach and education community to share with us how they marked the transit of Mercury. We would like to thank everyone who sent us details of their activities - thank you so much for your inspiring work!

In this issue, we congratulate our friends at UNAWE on their tenth anniversary, we share a new call for activities on how will you celebrate the 2016 Solar Eclipse, and we learn more about new resource by the Chandra X-ray Centre —  AstrOlympics.

And don’t forget that 30 June is Asteroid Day, so join in the global celebrations!

Clear Skies!
Lina Canas & Sze-leung Cheung
IAU Office for Astronomy Outreach

1) Eclipse September 2016 - call for activities

On 1 September, 2016 there will be an eclipse visible across Africa. This is a call for everyone interested to contribute to initiatives around the world and/or share the eclipse with everyone who can't watch it live. You can connect via Astronomy in Tanzania at www.astronomyintanzania.or.tz and in South Africa via www.moonshadowmix.co.za. Let us know about the initiatives you might be planning to join in this global celebration!

Please find more information here: www.eclipseafrica.org. And on Facebook PanAfrican Eclipse www.facebook.com/PanAfricanEclipses/.

2) National Outreach Contacts (NOCs) corner: News from Argentina

a) Transit of Mercury activities

Our National Outreach Contact shared with us the transit of Mercury observations all around Argentina, where the Astronomical Observatory of Córdoba opened its doors to the general public. Professional astronomers assisted the participants, providing expertise about the eclipse. The planetarium of the School of Astronomical and Geophysical Sciences of the National La Plata University welcomed lots of children, teenagers and families. And during the morning of 9 May, in Río Grande (the southernmost province of Tierra del Fuego), people gathered at the Center of Interpretation of the Atlantic Coast Reserve.

b) Annular Eclipse & Education Meeting (in Spanish)

The Commission of the Argentinian Astronomy Association and the National Outreach Node invite everyone to participate in the Second Workshop of Outreach and Education in Astronomy (WDEA II) that will be hosted in the city of Esquel, Chubut. On 26 February, a Solar Annular Eclipse will be visible from Chubut, and the participants will be able to view it during the meeting.

Learn more: sion.frm.utn.edu.ar/WDEAII/

3) First Arab Winter School for Astrophysics

The First Arab Winter School for Astrophysics (FAWSA) will take place in Cadi Ayyad University, Marrakesh, Morocco from 28 November to 3 December 2016. Alongside the scientific program and international invited speakers there are also public talks related to light pollution and dark skies, and the Arab astronomy heritage and there will be a visit to the Oukaimeden Observatory. Full financial support for 15 students from the Arab countries (with 1 student/country) will be available as well as a limited number of partial supports. The financial support will be assigned based on the financial need and scientific merit of the candidates.

Please find more about the program here: marrakech-astro.uca.ma/fawsa

4) Asteroid Day

Asteroid Day is a worldwide public education effort about asteroids, the associated science, and the scientists working in the field. Over the last few years the global response on the day has increased steadily, and is predicted to reach 300 events worldwide this year. The organising team are reaching out to local communities and encourage everyone to coordinate their Asteroid Day activities to take place on and/or around 30 June 2016.

Learn how you can join the celebrations: asteroidday.org

5) Astrobabies: Astronomy in the first childhood / Astrobebés: Astronomía en la primera infancia (in Spanish)

AstroBabies: Astronomy in the first childhood tackles the importance of disseminating astronomy to children from 0-5 years to promote scientific attitudes. This project provides activities for all the family, incorporating strategic approaches and experiences for the dissemination of astronomy and the development of training materials for the popularisation of astronomy aimed at an unusual and original audience.

Find out more about this project here: www.planetariodebogota.gov.co/multimedia/astro-beb%C3%A9s-0 and here: www.planetariodebogota.gov.co/multimedia/astro-beb%C3%A9s.

6) AstroOlympics

AstrOlympics is a free open source science communications project for the upcoming Summer Olympics this August in Brazil. From infographics and animated gifs to videos and handouts, the materials will help connect basic physics concepts to everyday experience, Olympic sports, and astrophysics, with additional topics tied to Paralympic athletic events for September as well. The materials are currently available in English, Spanish and Portuguese. If you would like to translate materials into other languages or be notified of additional opportunities for the AstrOlympics project, please respond to Kim Arckand Knowal at kkowal@cfa.harvard.edu.

Learn more about the project here: chandra.si.edu/olympics.

7) UNAWE celebrates ten year anniversary with competitions

In 2016, Universe Awareness celebrates its 10th anniversary and the  team has planned a year full of exciting and engaging activities for the community. Among other programs, Universe Awareness is promoting the Space Scoop competition “Design a Cosmic Comic” in which they’re asking Space Scoop readers to create their very own Space Scoop comics! And members of the network can participate in the “Win Your Own Telescope Competition” by writing a paragraph describing how one could use a telescope to inspire underserved children with astronomy.

You can learn all UNAWE’s 2015 activites here: www.unawe.org/updates/unawe-update-2016-15/

8) Teacher Training on Kepler’s Laws and Modern Astronomy

The ESO Supernova Planetarium & Visitor Centre, in collaboration with the Haus der Astronomie, Heidelberg, is organising a one day workshop on Kepler’s Laws for secondary school teachers. On 1 July, German speaking teachers from the ESO Member States will gather at ESO Headquarters in Garching bei München and discover how important Kepler’s Laws are to modern astronomy. Through a combination of short introductory talks and interactive workshops, participating teachers will be provided with educational materials they can use directly in classroom.

Learn the full programme for the workshop here: www.eso.org/public/announcements/ann16022/

9) Meetings & global events for 2016

Here is a list of astronomy outreach & education conferences and events for 2016.

a. Recently added

Arab Conference of Astronomy and Geophysics
Date: 17 - 20 October, 2016
Location: Helwan, Cairo,Egypt
More Information: acag-conf.org

b. Important deadlines

41st Committee on Space Research (COSPAR) Scientific Assembly
Regular registration: Until June 20, 2016
Date: 30 July - 7 August 2016
Location: Istanbul, Turkey
More Information: cospar2016.tubitak.gov.tr/en/

c. Upcoming

a) International Planetarium Society Conference
Date: 19-25 June 2016
Location: Warsaw, Poland
More Information: www.ips2016.org

b) .Astronomy 8
Date: 21-23 June 2016
Location: Oxford, United Kingdom
More Information: dotastronomy.com/events/eight/

c) SPIE Astronomical Telescopes +Instrumentation 2016
Date: 26 June - 1 July 2016
Location: Edinburgh International Conference Centre, Edinburgh, United Kingdom
More Information: spie.org/SPIE-ASTRONOMY-conference

d) Royal Astronomical Society National Astronomy Meeting 2016
Date: 27 June - 1 July 2016
Location: Nottingham, United Kingdom
More Information: www.ras.org.uk/news-and-press/2730-national-astronomy-meeting-2016

e) Asteroid Day Celebrations
Date: 30 June 2016
Location: Worldwide
More Information: asteroidday.org

f) Starlight, Beyond Light Pollution 2016 Workshop
Date: 2-10 July 2016
Location: La Palma, Canary Islands, Spain
More Information: www.astro-travels.com/La-Palma-Starlight-2016.html

g) European Week of Astronomy and Space Science (EWASS)
Date: 4-8 July 2016
Location: Athens, Greece
More Information: eas.unige.ch/EWASS2016/

h) International Astronomical Youth Camp (IAYC)
Date: 24 July - 13 August 2016
Location:  Exmoor National Park, Somerset, UK
More information: www.iayc.org

i) 41st COSPAR Scientific Assembly
Date: 30 July - 7 August 2016
Location: Istanbul, Turkey
More Information: cospar2016.tubitak.gov.tr/en/

j) Global Hands-On Universe Conference (GHOU 2016) & Galileo Teacher Training Program (GTTP) International Workshop
Date: 22 - 27 August 2016
Location: Stord, Norway
More information: handsonuniverse.org/ghou2016/registration/

k) Twenty fourth Annual Conference (SEAC 2016)
Date: 12–16 September 2016
Location: Bath, England
More Information: www.seac2016.com

l) International Conference on Artificial Light at Night (ALAN 2016)
Date: 26-28 September 2016
Location: Cluj, Napoca, Romania
More Information: www.artificiallightatnight.org

m) LARIM 2016: XV Latin American Regional IAU Meeting
Date: 3-7 October, 2016
Location: Cartagena de Indias, Colombia
More Information: larim.unal.edu.co

n) 1st Workshop on Astronomy Beyond the Common Senses for Accessibility and Inclusion
Date: 8 October, 2016
Location: Cartagena de Indias, Colombia
More Information: wai.unal.edu.co/information/

o) World Space Week
Date: 4–10 October 2016
Location: Worldwide
More Information: www.worldspaceweek.org/theme/

p) International Observe the Moon Night
Date: 8 October 2016
Location: Worldwide
More Information: observethemoonnight.org

q) DPS-EPSC Joint Meeting 2016
Date: 16—21 October 2016
Location: Pasadena, CA, United States
More Information: www.epsc2015.eu

r) Arab Conference on Astronomy and Geophysics
Date: 17–20 October 2016
Location: Helwan, Cairo, Egypt
More Information: acag-conf.org

s) IX International Conference on Oriental Astronomy
Date: 15–18 November 2016
Location: Pune, India
More Information: icoa2016.tifr.res.in

t) First Arab Winter School for Astrophysics (FAWSA)
Date: 28 November to 3 December 2016
Location: Cadi Ayyad University, Marrakesh, Morocco
More Information: marrakech-astro.uca.ma/fawsa

Have we missed something? Then share your astronomy outreach and education international meetings or events with us via outreach@iau.org.

10) Contributions to IAU Outreach Newsletter for 2016

Here at the IAU Office for Astronomy Outreach, we are always looking for more news about astronomical education and outreach events around the world. Please continue to share your stories with us in 2016! If you are organizing any large-scale events at a regional or international level, offering astronomy education or communication job positions, have any innovative projects or inspiring stories, looking for professional–amateur collaboration in astronomy, or have created any educational resources, let us know by sending an email to outreach@iau.org.