Well, this is the first blog post that I'm publishing after 2 months. I'm really sorry about the absence of updates and news as i was really busy with University academics and AIESEC work. This post is about the Astronomy camp that we conducted for the Asian International School (AIS) last 18th of March
I'm now gonna blog about an event that we had in our University almost 2 months back. I'm really sorry guys for dragging this such longer due to the busy schedule I've been undergoing last few months due to various reasons. Hope you don't mind me sharing in so late. Anyway here it is...
The most awaited total solar eclipse of the year 2010 is about to take place in less than next 20 hours from now. There have been a lot of groups/ individuals flocked at South Pacific islands and Chilean territories right now waiting for the eclipse to take place.
As the title of this post hints, there were lot of countries involved in this worldwide celebration during 2009, which was the 400th anniversary of both the discovery of telescope for astronomical observation by Galileo Galilei and the publication of “Astronomia Nova” by Johannes Kepler. These were the reasons which were prominent in specifying 2009 as the IYA.
I have already made a post about Fiami, and his great gift that I received during the Christmas season. I got many great feedback on that and even my friends wanted to read it, as none of them had the comic book with them, So I thought of doing a youtube video featuring Fiami
This handy astronomical telescope is easy to carry outdoors and use. The user-friendly navigation allows you to direct the tube into whatever direction you like and observe the heavens. What is more exciting is FirstScope is only priced at $ 24.50 (US Currency) plus shipping payments. The FirstScope is available within the IYA 2009 Network. Unfortunately the individual orders are not accepted and the orders should be made via the Single Points of Contacts as bulk orders. IYA 2009 Single Points of Contacts, who are willing to order the telescope should contact Celestron, before 30 June 2009, which is the deadline.
Celestron FirstScope - Order Form
Please send the order form as soon as possible (before 30 June 2009) to: mmeskill@celestron.com
For more information please contact:
Michelle Meskill
Celestron
Marketing Manager
Tel.: +1-310-328-9560 ext. 205
E-mail: mmeskill@celestron.com
or visit: http://www.celestron.com/
damage, caused to eyes when observed directly.
related to Astronomy and all he had to do was give cluses to the audience without revealing the keyword. The student who first correctly got the keyword was awarded with a small gift ( Chocolate) and now it was his chance to repeat the game, provided with a new keyword.
cotton-wool and other needy, the groups performed pretty well under the inspection of Mr.Kusal Weerasinghe and Mr. Madusha Dedigamuwa. However amazingly the 4 landers survived their eggs as dropped from the 4th flour of the tallest building in AIS.
Yet another Observation Camp that I contributed, was the Astronomy Camp organized by the Astronomical Association of Seetha Devi Balika Vidyalaya, Kandy. The camp was held to promote International Year of Astronomy 2009 -IYA 2009 from the evening of 27th March 2009 to the morning of the next day. It should be mentioned that the girls of the ( present and alumni members ) Mahamaya Girls College, Kandy took immense effort in bringing this camp into a reality. The camp was conducted by present and alumni members of the Anandian Astronomical Association ( more known as AAA) , Ananda College, Sri Lanka. This combination is best reputed as "Star Party Crew", who organize the annual Star Party observation competition. |  |
It was really a fun activity and in terms of scientific approach, this determined the
Kandy, the tutorial staff the Board of officials and members of respective Astronomical Association and parents of the school children and Sumudu Malalagama and her friends - Indeewari, Thelum & Tharini of Astronomical Society of Mahamaya Girls' College for their efforts in the success of this event.
ApJ = Astrophysical Journal
AJ = Astronomical Journal
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Ratnatunga, K. U., & Freeman, K. C. 1989, "Field K giants in the Galactic Halo II." Ap. J. 339 126-148. 1989ApJ...339..126R
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Globe at Night- the worldwide star count project started on last 16th March 2009. Globe at Night would be a major focus of International Year of Astronomy 2009-IYA 2009- and the project is scheduled to last till next 28th as urban skies are now being scrutinized by both digital and natural means. The mission is to obtain precise measurements of metropolitan area skies around the globe with the use of sky-quality meters.The darker your sky, the more stars you'll see. You can easily contribute to this worldwide cause bu submitting the count of stars you see in the night and eventually the data will be useful to analyze the most observation-friendly areas, where there will be least amount of light pollution. Actually in comparison to the dark skies you observe in the highlands and countryside, the urban city skies are more polluted with light, causing very bad results to suburban observations as well.
Globe at Night is an excellent opportunity for people to get outside and see the night sky. Even from towns and cities it is possible to see Orion, and the information we get from everyone who takes part will allow us to build up a map of light pollution around the UK, and worldwide.' says Professor Ian Robson, chair of IYA2009 in the UK.
In this project the constellation of Orion is used to gauge how dark the sky is, and this is often referred to as magnitude in the sense of Globe at Night.
'We have now passed the point where more than half of the world's population live in urban areas, which are notorious for being excessively lit or badly lit by artificial lights. GLOBE at night is an easy way for people around the world to connect with the increasingly powerful and accepted idea that good lighting saves money; it reduces our greenhouse gases by lowering our use of electrical power; it is better for public safety; and it allows everyone to share the wonders of the night sky.' says Dr Connie Walker, senior science education specialist at the National Optical Astronomy Observatory, the US national research and development centre for ground-based night time astronomy.
g with the NARHAMS Rocket Club, workshops on how to get started with a telescope, a "Yuri's Night" celebration on 3rd April and moreover, a concert by The Chromatics. Please note that so me of these a activities require registration. Apart form these activities at Goddard premises, there will also be a wide range of activities as well. These will be inclusive of a 4.5 mile "Planet Walk" along the Baltimore-Annapolis, and a "Star Party" hosted by the Astronomy Department at Anne Arundel Community College. Furthermore there would be discussions by planetary scientists! 
The SPS - Society of Physics Students- and Sigma Pi Sigma are collaborating in celebration of IYA 2009 and YoS - Year of Science. All the affiliated events will be launched with the theme " A Universe of Wonder"SPS will work together with other respective participants for IYA 2009 in the special Cornerstand project, which is aimed at enabling 1M students to build their own telescope to experience the effect on how the great Italian mastermind could have observed the heavens. Coined as "Galileoscopes" these telescope will help amateurs to enjoy and feel the presence of IYA 2009 to the bottoms of their hearts while it lasts. SPS SOCKs - Science Outreach Catalyst Kids- will look into the matters of Galileoscopes and their function.
In its endeavours of popularizing the universal ambition, YoS is launching a large range of public 
awareness projects, to enable better understanding of the science and its being. Meantime COPUS network - Coalition on the Public Understanding of Science - is also supporting the cause by getting together with allied bodies, such like, SPS and APS. They will strive together to unveil profiles, websites, games, videos, and of course, experiments to the March's "Physics & Technology" thematic hub on YoS 2009 website. In connection of this effort, SPS looks forward to conduct an experiment on "the science of rolling objects". You too can contribute your own data, related to this experiment by submitting them on the YoS 2009 web portal , and later they will be used to analyse the ultimate report of the project.
"Globe at Night" the 4th segment of the International Star-counting Program will be launched with a massive participation from 16th-28th March 2009 and is treated as a major happening in the Dark Sky Awareness Cornerstone project of the International Year of Astronomy 2009, known as IYA 2009. |  |
The classic citizen-science exercise, involving people, regardless of their expertise, to enjoy gazing at the constellation of Orion,with their naked eyes is more popularized this time than ever. Meantime scientific efforts will be carried-out using standard equipment to obtain precise and digital measurements to enhance the degree of overall observation wise success.
The effect of lighting-pollution on the environment and the disappearance of the dark night skies are majorly concerned and emphasized in the Globe at Night 2009 program.
| We have now passed the point where more than half of the world's population lives in urban areas, which are notorious for being excessively lit or badly lit by artificial lights" says Dr. Connie Walker, senior science education specialist at the National Optical Astronomy Observatory. "GLOBE at Night is an easy way for people around the world to connect with the increasingly accepted and powerful idea that good lighting saves money, it reduces greenhouse gases by lowering our use of electrical power, it is better for public safety, and it allows everyone to share the wonders of the night sky." she further added. |
During the previous episodes of Globe at Night during the last 3 years, people from various parts of the globe (in more than 100 countries) have contributed towards the success of the project and there had been over 20,000 measurements of the starry nights.
It is interesting to see some cities, such like Norman, Oklahoma, Mishawaka, Indiana, Willimantic, Connecticut, and Waynesville, Ohio, are organizing observation camps to get both students, enthusiasts, amateurs and public advocates and representatives from local city and county administration to a unique platform. "Connecticut kids are collaborating with students in Wales, Canada and Romania on GLOBE at Night, and we have an extensive campaign planned with the schools near the observatories of north-central Chile," Walker said.
"Astronomy from the Ground Up" a network of small science and nature centers fostered by the Astronomical Society of the Pacific (ASP) and the National Science Foundation, 146 amateur astronomers that are part of the ASP-NASA Night-Sky Network, and (soon) the Association of Science-Technology Centers have already received related training and guidance in GLOBE at Night and affiliated projects.
"International organizing efforts for GLOBE at Night have been strong in countries like Argentina, Australia, Austria, Brazil, Canada, Chile, Costa Rica, the Czech Republic, Germany, Hungary, Ireland, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Spain and the United Kingdom, to name a few" she added.
Upcoming chances to learn more about GLOBE at Night include the March 6 episode of the IYA2009 "365 Days of Astronomy" podcast and oral sessions at the upcoming meeting of the National Science Teachers Association in New Orleans, March 19-20.
In more news, cities, such as Tucson, Arizona, are collaborating GLOBE at Night with involvement in the World Wildlife Fund (WWF)'s EarthHour event , which encourages everyone to turn out their lights from 8:30-9:30 p.m. local time on the evening of Saturday, March 28, the final night of GLOBE at Night 2009. This seems as a beginning of a promising future of clear observation as far as the event is concerned.
"We also encourage everyone to participate in the star-counting activity being carried out under the banner of IYA2009 in October, called ‘The Great World Wide Star Count.' Another star-hunting program called ‘How Many Stars' is available the rest of the year," Walker added. According to Walker, during up-coming 2010 episode of, GLOBE at Night it is expected that this will be adopted as a core activity of the Girl Scouts of America.
Dark-Skies Awareness is associated with other 10 global cornerstone projects, supported by the International Astronomical Union's IYA2009 efforts. For more information on a variety of programs including the 3 star-hunting programs, a planetarium show, a presence in Second Life, and joint programs with U.S. national parks, amateur astronomers and some of the greatest environmental photographers in the world, see www.darkskiesawareness.org.
The reputed Deutsches Museum is arranging a well-planned scenario for celebrating IYA 2009.The activities include following:
exhibition focusing on the exciting topic of man's exploration of the Moon. Actual lunar rock samples and original Apollo space suits will be present. 
For more information, visit http://www.deutsches-museum.de/information/aktuell/2009/jahr-der-astronomie/. Please be aware that the content is in German.
BRIEFING:
urse."An interesting overview of the universe", the film narrated by actor Morgan Freeman was first shown in IMAX theaters. It is planned, if the night sky is clear, to enable telescope viewing following the movie at 7:30 p.m. on the Science Building fourth-floor patio. Additionally for sky observation, there will be a 15-inch Newtonian telescope and several 8-inch Cassegrain telescopes. The theater and the roof patio are wheelchair accessible. Therefore anyone could just visit and experience the benefits of IYA 2009 and astronomy with modern facilities and professionals, who will be readily available during the sessions.
OBSERVATION
With a clear sky, there will be great views of Venus; the crescent moon; the constellations Orion, Gemini, Taurus and others; the Orion Nebula and the Andromeda galaxy. Saturn will be seen at the end of the session at 9:30 p.m.
Apart from this monthly session there would be more opportunities where anyone could get access to the information and activities, especially conducted in affiliation with IYA 2009. Paying tribute to Galileo Galilei's efforts after 400 years, UTSA Department of Physics and Astronomy have arranged a variety of scenarios and projects to improve the understanding of Astronomy and IYA 2009 in general. According to the agenda, there are more educational activities for children and families, telescopic observation and star-gazing, multimedia, screening of films, professional lectures in the long run to happen.
The ultimate target of the series is to communicate the impact of astronomy on society and culture over the last 400 years, while sparking interest in astronomy by a new generation of space explorers. The sky is always ready for those who want to learn more about the universe.
The Universe, Yours to Discover
 | Stay tuned with updates: e-mail Daniel Boice, Eric Schlegel, or Mark Jurena |
MiraCosta College now reserves the privilege of hosting the unveiling of 2 new mural-sized images of the famous spiral galaxy M 101 (Messier 101). The unveiling will be from NASA's Three Great Observatories: namely The Hubble Space Telescope, Spitzer Space Telescope, and Chandra X-ray Observatory.
Additional detail is available from MiraCosta astronomy professor Rica Sirbaugh French at 
(760) 757-2121
, ext. 6506.
