Dear friends and colleagues,​

In collaboration with the IAU Dark Skies Ambassadors, Dark Skies for All & B7 – Inter-Division B-C Commission Protection of Existing and Potential Observatory Sites the IAU is raising awareness of the need for protection of our dark and quiet skies by endorsing actions during and around the International Day of Light (IDL2020) on 16 May 2020. This year, amidst these challenging times, the IDL2020 organization is encouraging you to stay safe and "Share How you Celebrate Light on Social Media" and making a "Call for Videos for the International Day of Light". You can register your event or participate in the IDL2020 planned events here.

During May, one of our focal points will be Globe@Night Campaigns, starting on May 14 and running for 10 nights. During this time of confinement, we ask the public to safely to look up and take measurements in these five easy steps. Globe at Night is an international citizen-science campaign to raise public awareness of the impact of light pollution by inviting citizen-scientists to measure and submit their night sky brightness observations. 
     
Additionally, you can also join our IAU Dark Skies Ambassadors network. The IAU Dark Skies Ambassadors is a program that invites keen enthusiasts worldwide to be dark sky advocates. The IAU Dark Skies Ambassadors organise actions in their communities. Joining the program creates a peer-supporting environment and provide visibility of your efforts internationally.

As the world struggles to contain the spread of COVID-19 we are adapting many of our IAU outreach programs related to dark and quiet skies awareness to a fully online framework, doing whatever we can to help tackle this pandemic as well as its collateral effects on society. 

Wishing you and your families and friends all our best and thanking you for all your efforts, 
Lina Canas, on behalf of the IAU Office for Astronomy Outreach Team 
Constance Walker, on behalf of the IAU Commission Protection of Existing and Potential Observatory Sites
Bethany Downer, IDL2020 Outreach and Communications Coordinator