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The new web site of the 100 Hours of Astronomy Cornerstone Project is now online. This new site has new content and features. More importantly, the new site provides the capability for many new features as IYA2009 begins and we all prepare for the 100 Hours of Astronomy in April.
There is new information on each of the global events, including the opening event, the live science center webcast, the live 24-hour research observatory webcast and the 24-hour global star party. Much more will be added as planning continues.
A new Resources section has the latest information pack, logos of various types for your use, five new posters that can downloaded and printed small as handouts or large as posters with spaces for information on your event and seven how-to guides for planning and conducting public star parties. The information pack will be updated as planning continues, new posters will be created and many more how-to guides will be added to encourage everyone with a telescope to hold a public observing event during the 24-hour global star party. More types of resources will be added as well.
While we are very pleased to have the new web site available, this is just the beginning. Within the next week some essential features will become active. Registration of events and several methods to search the events database and display the results. A new forum will become active allowing you to ask questions and provide feedback, discuss similar types of events with other participants around the world and find collaborators for your projects. An FAQ will also be available within the week.
More information, features and resources will continue to be added for some time. If you have questions, comments or suggestions about what the site should include please feel free to write to the project coordinator Jennie McCormick at
This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
. Feel free to write to me as well at the address below concerning any other issues.
Each significant addition to the site will be announced on this mailing list as it becomes available. Jennie McCormick's newsletter will also continue at greater intervals.
IYA2009 is now one day old in most of the world. The celebration is just beginning, and excitement is building toward the 100 Hours of Astronomy. To see how those of us on the 100HA team feel visit our new web site to see the great (and real; no Photoshop!) image captured by Paul Moss of New Zealand. It's going to be a grand worldwide party!
Clear skies,
Mike Simmons
The Dark Skies Awareness (DSA) IYA2009 cornerstone project also has a new web site. DSA has been working with 100HA to coordinate activities and take advantage of the worldwide attention that 100HA will have in early April. The new DSA web site has information and resources that can be very useful in your public outreach events where the problem of light pollution is presented.
The fourth annual GLOBE at Night (GaN) will take place during the dark of the Moon on 16-18 March just before 100HA. GaN is a great opportunity to involve amateur astronomers, educators and the public in participating in a real research project and generate excitement for upcoming 100HA events. The Great Worldwide Star Count is held annually in October and will be a good follow-up event to aim for six months after 100HA. DSA will hold an all-day workshop on Sunday, Jan 4 at the semi-annual meeting of the American Astronomical Society in Long Beach, California. The new DSA web site has information on these events and much more.
There has been discussion of holding dark-sky events after 100HA to take new enthusiasts who were recruited at sidewalk astronomy sessions in urban environments to the next level. But don't wait for something "official" from 100HA or DSA -- plan your own follow-up dark-sky events in your area!
Watch the DSA site for more, and this mailing list for news of any new collaboration between 100HA and DSA.
Mike
The first event of IYA2009 is over -- Dawn of IYA2009 organized by the IYA2009 Solar Physics Task Group. Dawn participants started the year off right by taking solar telescopes to public places and showing a close-up of the first sunrise of 2009 to as many people as possible. The Solar Physics Task Group is an important partner of 100 Hours of Astronomy in helping us put together resources to encourage solar observing. After all, 50 of the 100 hours are during the daytime!
Dawn can be considered the first trail run for 100 Hours of Astronomy, and the results are exciting. See the reports and some great pictures of Dawn events on its blog at http://dawn-iya2009.blogspot.com/ . Pictures show observing events India, Indonesia, Brazil, Spain, USA, Iraq, Portugal, Nepal, New Zealand and Australia. It's an exciting prelude to the 100 Hours of Astronomy 24-hour Globa Star Party!
Thanks to Ricardo Reis of the Solar Physics Task Group for starting and organizing Dawn of IYA2009.
Mike
The 100HA web site address has changed from:
www.100hoursofastronomy.org/cms
to
www.100hoursofastronomy.org
That is, the "/cms" has been dropped from the end of the address.
Please uupdate your bookmarks to reflect this change. The old address
will redirect you to the new address for now.
Mike Simmons
Are you planning an event during the 100 Hours of Astronomy? You can now register it on the 100 Hours of Astronomy web site to include it in our worldwide registry of events. Your event will be included in searches, listings and on the worldwide maps of events so everyone can find you!
Go to http://www.100hoursofastronomy.org/events/eventsmain . You will be asked to create a user account on the web site to be able to register an event. This is separate from your registration on this mailing list.
Mike Simmons
Day 10 of IYA2009
82 days until 100 Hours of Astronomy
Good morning everyone,
Please find enclosed the Jan 2009 (Issue 2) of our 100HA newsletter.
"Keeping In Touch 100HA Jan 2009 No2.pdf"
Kind Regards
Jennie McCormick
Good evening from New Zealand,
New resources for download have been added to our website, they include; The Night Sky Network Discovery Guides, Solar Physics Task Group resources and Sidewalk Astronomy "What Can I Do" guide. Visit our resource page to find out more.
We have now a added a full contact list of National and Regional organisers for the Sidewalk Astronomy event component of 100 Hours of Astronomy. This list is not as yet complete, we will regularly update the list as more contact information comes to hand. Our FAQ page is slowly coming together, you might want to check that out too. http://www.100hoursofastronomy.org/faq If there are any questions that you feel need answering, please send them on and we will endeavour to answer them and include them on the page.
Remember to register your 100 Hours of Astronomy events if you haven't already done so. You may like to search for an event in your area - this is working very well indeed and is fun to do Search Event
Thanks everyone - Happy Observing Regards,
Jennie McCormick
New items recently added to our Resources section include the following:
- Compact A4 tri fold 100HA pamphlet (download, PDF)
- Comprehensive visual instructions for event registration (download, PDF)
- Night Sky Network Discovery Guides (links to ASP website)
- Solar Physics Task Group resources (link to SPTG website)
- Sidewalk Astronomy "What Can I Do" pamphlet (download, PDF)
Hubble's Next Discovery - You Decide
The Space Telescope Science Institute is asking the public to make the momentous decision of where to point modern astronomy's most famous telescope through online voting. The winning object will be announced during the 100 Hours of Astronomy.
http://www.100hoursofastronomy.org/in-the-news
Sidewalk Astronomers, the global organizer for the 24-hour global star party on 4 April, has a list of their National and Regional organisers available. More contacts will be added as they become available. These are not national node representatives but are working within Sidewalk Astronomers’ network to contact as many amateur organizations as possible for participation in this great global event.
The FAQ page has some recent additions. If you have questions you feel should be included please send them to us.
http://www.100hoursofastronomy.org/faq
Be sure to register your 100 Hours of Astronomy event. You may also want to search for other events in your area. We are adding new tools for registration and searching so try them out . They’re fun to use!
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