We’re ecstatic to learn that the IAU100 Secretariat, a partnership between the IAU Office for Astronomy Outreach (OAO) and the Astronomy & Society group at the University of Leiden, was honoured with an award from the Dutch Research Council for the IAU100 celebrations. We’d like to thank our NOCs, event volunteers and participants for their contribution to the IAU100 that made the IAU centenary such a success. Further details are in this newsletter. Speaking of awrads, we’d like to congratulate Global Himilayan Expedition, IAU Office of Astronomy for Development partners, for winning a well-deserved award from the United Nations. More information on both are provided in this newsletter
We also highlight resources from our NOCs for the total solar eclipse on 14 December, upcoming and past NOC-supported events, a new resource for Galician speakers, and a fundraiser for a teaching observatory in Japan.
On a final note, it was heartbreaking to learn that the Arecibo Telescope had collapsed. This telescope, located in Puerto Rico, has had a major impact on radio astronomy research and the popularisation of astronomy around the world. It helped bring many people from the island and the Caribbean towards astronomy research, and astronomy is all the better for telescope's contribution.
Wishing you clear skies and good health! Lina Canas & Izumi Hansen, on behalf of the IAU Office for Astronomy Outreach (OAO) Team
1) IAU100 wins NWO Communication Award
The IAU100 Secretariat has been awarded the Dutch Research Council (NWO) Communication Award for its reach and international impact in promoting astronomy through the IAU100, the century celebration of the International Astronomical Union.
2) Reminder: CAPjournal Time in Confinement Submission Open
The Communicating Astronomy with the Public Journal (CAPjournal) is still accepting abstracts for consideration to be included in the special issue on the theme “Astronomy Communication in a Time of Confinement”. Anyone who has been bringing astronomy to the public during this pandemic is welcome to share their insights and lessons learned through this issue.
3) OAD Partner Wins United Nations Global Climate Action Award
Global Himalayan Expedition (GHE), a partner of our sister office, the IAU Office of Astronomy for Development (OAD), won a 2020 United Nations Global Climate Action Award. GHE is one of the world’s first organisations to combine the power of tourism with technology, bringing solar power to people in remote communities. We’d like to congratulate GHE on this impressive recognition.
A total solar eclipse will sweep through parts of South America on 14 December 2020, and we have gathered information on events and resources for the eclipse from our National Outreach Coordinators (NOCs) and IAU Scientific Bodies. See the links in the webpage to see how you can participate in this eclipse.
5) NOC News: Online Basic Astronomy Workshop for University Students in Bangladesh
Our NOC Bangladesh Farseem Mohammedy recently hosted the 13th Annual Abdul Jabbar Astronomy Workshop to introduce 27 university students to astronomy. The workshop was jointly supported by Bangladesh Astronomical Society (BAS), Science Popularization Society Bangladesh (SPSB), Universe Awareness and National Museum of Science & Technology, Bangladesh.
14 speakers from around the world presented, including our International Outreach Coordinator Lina Canas, NOC Portugal João Retrê and, through our Meet the IAU Astronomers programme, IAU member Juan Hernández Santisteban.
Our NOC India Samir Dhurde has been supporting a series titled Awesome Amateur Talks, live talks by amateur astronomers around the world. Members of the public are welcome to attend the virtual meetings by pre-registering.
7) IAU-Approved Names for Constellations Translated into Galician
A group of amateur astronomers, including our newsletter’s Galician-language translator, has translated the 88 IAU-approved constellation names into the Galician, a language from the Galicia region on the Iberian Peninsula. They hope that having these translations will increase and standardise scientific vocabulary for astronomy among Galician speakers.
Thank you to Martin Pawley for sharing this news with us.
8) Kwasan Astro-Culture Centre Fundraiser
The Kwasan Observatory in Kyoto, Japan is seeking donations to preserve the 91-year-old observatory for educational and outreach purposes. These donations allow the observatory to continue operating despite a budget cut, so students and the public can continue to learn about astronomy and observe with the observatory's 45-cm and 18-cm refracting telescopes.
Japanese:http://bit.ly/2xlNyCR
Translations are thanks to Akihiko Tomita, through the Astronomy Translation Network.
You can subscribe to the Japanese newsletter through the Japanese Amateur Astronomers Association (http://www.jaaa-astro.jp/jaaa-ml.html) or the Japanese Society for Education and Popularization of Astronomy (http://www.tenkyo.net/).
If you are interested in translating the IAU Outreach Newsletter into your language, please email public@oao.iau.org.
11) Contributions to the IAU Outreach Newsletter—looking forward to hearing from you in 2020
Here at the IAU Office for Astronomy Outreach, we’re always looking for news about astronomical education and outreach events around the world. Please continue to share your stories with us in 2020! If you are organising 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 public@oao.iau.org.
You can send us your suggestions until the 4th (for issue #1) and the 17th (for issue #2) day of each month. We are looking forward to hearing from you.
