D.C. Area Event Highlights NASA Astronomy
In early April, the moon transitions from first quarter to gibbous -- good phases for early-evening observing. Saturn is also visible in the evening sky during this time (depending on cloud cover, of course).
So, what better time is there to hold a "100 Hours of Astronomy" event? On April 2-5, 2009, NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Md., near Washington D.C., will join hundreds of science centers and astronomy enthusiasts across the globe in hosting activities designed to bring astronomy to the public.
Teachers, students and families in the D.C. metropolitan area are invited to attend activities including:
- Tours of NASA's Goddard center.
- A "Planet Walk" along the Baltimore-Annapolis Trail.
- Star-watching parties and tutorials on how to throw one.
- A party celebrating the first human spaceflight.
- Model rocket launches.
for the full schedule of Goddard activities.
"100 Hours of Astronomy" is part of the 2009 International Year of Astronomy, proclaimed as such by the International Astronomical Union and the United Nations. A key goal of the worldwide event is to have as many people as possible look through a telescope, much as Galileo did for the first time 400 years ago.
100 Hours of Astronomy International Web site →
NASA International Year of Astronomy 2009 →
International Year of Astronomy 2009, United States Node →
International IYA 2009 Web site →
Dan Stillman, Institute for Global Environmental Strategies