IAU Astronomy Outreach Newsletter

2016 #19 October #1

In this newsletter:

0. From the Editors
1. National Outreach Contact (NOC) Corner: News from India
2. Visualising Observational and Computational Data at the National Astronomical Observatory of Japan (NAOJ)
3. Astronomy et al.
4. Astronomers Without Borders (AWB) AstroArts Blog
5. Online course about 2017 Eclipse
6. The European Space Agency is looking for students for its new "Fly a Rocket!" programme
7. The Story of Space new website is out!
8. The Rosetta Legacy
9. Meetings & global events
   1. Recently Added
   2. Important Dates
   3. Upcoming
10. IAU Astronomy Outreach Newsletter in other languages
11. Contributions to IAU Outreach Newsletter for 2016

0) From the Editors

This past week we sadly bid goodbye to Rosetta, yet with the overwhelming feeling that the journey of discovery that this mission represented is only just begun and it’s legacy will continue for many years to come. In this spirit we invite you to browse through some of the great resources this mission inspired. On 4 October, we started celebrating another exciting World Space Week, learning about all the numerous activities happening around the world — we are looking forward to hearing how you spent your World Space Week!

In this issue, we highlight the new Astronomy et al. podcast, Astronomers Without Borders (AWB) AstroArts Blog with a very special guest and the National Astronomical Observatory of Japan (NAOJ) with the latest science visualisation videos available to download for free.

Last but not least, we would like to thank our IAU Astronomy Outreach Newsletter translators for their support in bringing all of the latest astronomy education and outreach news to the community.

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

1) National Outreach Contact (NOC) Corner: News from India

a) Astronomy Festival "NAVONEEL 2016"

The Sky Watchers Association of North Bengal (SWAN) are hosting a large-scale Astronomy Festival named "NAVONEEL 2016" from 3 to 6 November 2016 in Siliguri, District Darjeeling, West Bengal, INDIA. NAVONEEL 2016 will be the fourth time this event has been held, and as in previous years it is free and open to all. SWAN has been engaged in popularising Astronomy and Allied Sciences amongst students and the general public since 1987.

Learn more about NAVONEEL 2016 here: http://www.skywatchersindia.com/in-focus.html and discover more about SWAN here: http://www.skywatchersindia.com.

2) Visualising Observational and Computational Data at the National Astronomical Observatory of Japan (NAOJ)

The Four-Dimensional Digital Universe (4D2U) is a long-term project by the National Astronomical Observatory of Japan (NAOJ) and aims to image the latest astronomical data obtained by observations and numerical simulations for both astronomers and the public. For astronomers, the goal is to provide a rare 3D view of data to help with research, since these perspectives can be great tools for understanding modern data and simulations. For the general public, the goal is to present the latest research results in a way that is scientifically accurate, but also fun and easy to understand. During the last years, 4D2U has developed various means of visualising the Universe, including the production of movies, which are available for free and are downloadable.

Discover these resources and more about 4D2U here: http://4d2u.nao.ac.jp/english/index.html

3) Astronomy et al.

“Astronomy at al.” is a new podcast in English where you will see featured informal conversations about the fascinating world of astronomy. In this interview-based podcast, the topics vary from ESA Missions to Cosmology, Astronomy History, the Solar System, General Relativity, Science Communication, etc. You can also find more than 70 hours of astronomy content in "Astronomía y algo más", another podcast in Spanish, also produced by the author.

To access all “Astronomy et al.” podcasts please go here: http://astroetal.com/
And find the author’s youtube channel (in Spanish): https://www.youtube.com/c/astroblogcl

4) Astronomers Without Borders (AWB) AstroArts Blog

Join Astronomers Without Borders (AWB) at 16:00 UT on14 October for a very special LIVE online program featuring Nicole Stott, retired NASA astronaut. Nicole Stott created the first painting in space, inspired by the beauty of our planet during 104 days on two space missions, and became a full-time artist after retiring from NASA after 28 years as an engineer, aquanaut, and astronaut.

Join the LIVE Hangout here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FBz5rr3e9Kw

More information about AstroArts Blog and other invited artists here: http://www.astronomerswithoutborders.org/news/awb-blog/318-dark/astroarts-blog.html

5) Online course about 2017 Eclipse

On August 21, 2017, the United States of America (USA) will experience the first total eclipse of the Sun visible in the continental territory in almost 40 years. The total eclipse will only be visible within a narrow band, and everyone in North America located outside this band will see a partial solar eclipse. On 15 October 2016 the US National Science Teachers Association (NSTA) is promoting the virtual conference “The Total Solar Eclipse of 2017 — Are You and Your Students Ready for the Sky Event of the Decade?". This course is open to international participants for a fee. There is a free booklet (in PDF format) about the eclipse and safe viewing, from NSTA’s recently published book Solar Science, and it can be found here: http://bit.ly/2bkGSvA.

Find out more about this online course here: http://learningcenter.nsta.org/products/online_courses/VC_161015.aspx

6) The European Space Agency is looking for students for its new "Fly a Rocket!" programme

ESA’s Education Office is looking for twenty students to participate in an online course about rocketry. Following completion of the course, the students will have the opportunity to take part in a full launch campaign at the Andoya Space Center in Northern Norway, and to launch a rocket. The course is aimed at younger university students, and it is accepting applications from education, media, and management students, showing that careers in the space sector do not necessarily require a detailed technical or mathematical background.

Learn more about the program here: http://www.esa.int/Education/ESA_Academy/ESA_looking_for_students_for_its_new_Fly_a_Rocket!_programme

7) The Story of Space new website is out!

This free public festival, that will explore ‘Space’ and its connections to science, philosophy, art, and culture, will take place in Goa, India in October/November 2017. “The Story of Space” will bring researchers in science & philosophy, artists & designers, writers & poets, musicians, coders, cultural practitioners, and educators together on a common platform to create both spontaneous and prepared learning experiences on the subject of ‘Space’ from various disciplines and perspectives

To learn more about The Story of Space visit http://www.thestoryof.org/space2017/.

8) The Rosetta Legacy

Rosetta has captured the public imagination like no other European Space Agency (ESA) mission before, and on 30 September the world said goodbye to this incredible journey, shared across the globe. As the first spacecraft to orbit a comet, drop a lander — Philae — onto its surface and travel alongside it as it swung around the Sun, Rosetta will leave, in addition to a rich scientific legacy, a vast repository of outreach and educational resources for us explore and be inspired by. Here we have gathered some of the latest few:

• Rosetta & Philae videos.
• The Rosetta Twitter account.
• The Ambition video Epilog launched.
• The press kit containing background information about the Rosetta mission that was prepared to accompany Rosetta's grand finale.
• The Rosetta Legacy Tumblr, a global repository of all the things that express the public's thoughts, feelings and personal experiences inspired by Rosetta.

If you want to share your favourite resources from the Rosetta Mission, let us know via outreach@iau.org.

9) Meetings & global events

Here you can find a list of astronomy outreach & education conferences and events around the world.

a) Recently Added

7th International Festival of Science Visualization - Dome Fest
Date: March 5–7 2017
Location: Tokyo, Japan
More Information: http://ifsv.org/en/index.html

b) Important Dates

Southeast Asia Astronomical Network (SEAAN)
Abstract submission deadline: 18 October 2016
Date: 12 and 13 November 2016
Location: Hanoi, Vietnam
More Information: https://vnsc.org.vn/seaan2016

c) Upcoming

1. DPS-EPSC Joint Meeting 2016
   Date: 16-21 October 2016
   Location: Pasadena, CA, United States
   More Information: www.epsc2015.eu
2. Arab Conference on Astronomy and Geophysics
   Date: 17-20 October 2016
   Location: Helwan, Cairo, Egypt
   More Information: acag-conf.org
3. Space Education International Workshop 2016
   Date: 18-22, October 2016
   Location: Leiden, Netherlands
   More Information: http://www.space-awareness.org/en/news/space-education-international-workshop/
4. IX International Conference on Oriental Astronomy
   Date: 15-18 November 2016
   Location: Pune, India
   More Information: icoa2016.tifr.res.in
5. Southeast Asia Astronomical Network (SEAAN)
   Date: 12 and 13 November 2016
   Location: Hanoi, Vietnam
   More Information: https://vnsc.org.vn/seaan2016
6. ESO Astronomy Camp
   Date: 26 December 2016 to 1 January 2017
   Location: Aosta Valley, Italy.
   More information: http://www.eso.org/public/announcements/ann16031/
7. 7th International Festival of Science Visualization - Dome Fest
   Date:  5–7 March 2017
   Location: Tokyo, Japan
   More Information: http://ifsv.org/en/index.html
8. International Planetarium Society 2018
   Date: 1–6 July 2017
   Location: Toulouse, France
   More Information: http://www.ips-planetarium.org/page/IPS2018Toulouse
9. 13th Asian-Pacific Regional IAU Meeting (APRIM 2017)
   Date: 3–7 July 2017
   Location: Taipei, Taiwan
   More Information: http://www.aprim2017.tw/

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

10) IAU Astronomy Outreach Newsletter in other languages

Translations into Serbian, by Dr. Liliana Gracanin from Serbia, are available: https://twitter.com/IAU_srpski;

Translations into Spanish are available, by the Association of Amateur Astronomers from León, Nicaragua: http://asafile.blogspot.jp/p/blog-page_12.html;

[older issues only] In Spanish, by the Astronomical Spanish Society: http://www.sea-astronomia.es/drupal/content/newsletter-iau-noc;

Translations of some issues of this newsletter into Japanese are also available, by the Japan Amateur Astronomers Association: http://www.jaaa-astro.jp/jaaa-ml.html;

If you are interested in translating our newsletter to your language, please let us know via outreach@iau.org.

11) 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. In 2016 please continue to share your stories with us! If you are organising 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.