As I complete yet another orbit around the Sun, I want to make a special birthday-wish, something that anyone could help with.
According to the World Health Organisation, about 285 million people have some degree of visual impairment. About 39 million are blind, and 246 million are visually impaired. About 90% of them live in developing countries of Africa, Asia, Latin America and the Pacific Regions, and they are 10 times more likely to go blind than those in developed countries.
Now take a step back and think! How can we help the people with vision impairments to enjoy the beauty of the Universe?
To address this much neglected area, under the framework of Universal Design of Learning (UDL), we have created “A Touch of The Universe” project. It aims to build 30 sets of tactile astronomy KITS for children with vision impairments in underdeveloped countries in Americas, Asia and Africa.
How can you help?
The project is partially funded by International Astronomical Union - Office of Astronomy for Development (OAD). But we need more support to complete the project. Please consider making a donation. Your contribution will make a much needed difference.
Universe is too wonderful to not to share with anyone, specially with children. Unfortunately many children discover the beauty of the Universe bit too late, or some never get to enjoy it. That's why I fully support Universe Awareness (UNAWE) - a program which put its heart and soul into inspiring every child with our wonderful Universe, regardless of the social status.
As I complete yet another orbit around the Sun, I couldn't have celebrated my birthday better than with children from an orphanage in Sri Lanka, doing astronomy!
Thank you for everyone who sent in wishes and helped with the event, specially my dad and aunt for helping with cooking, and Kavindi (UNAWE-Sri Lanka), Kaminda, Gihantha, Tijitha, and Janith for helping with the activities.
teaching basic astronomy concepts to kids
tour around the Universe
not only kids, but orphanage staff enjoyed the Universe
lunch time
it's wonderful to see how kids visualize the Universe
kids version of the Universe :-)
kids with UNAWE - Sri Lanka
busy with the "Eggnauts" challenge!
teaching kids is such a rewarding experience
"Tell me and I forget. Show me and I remember. Involve me and I understand"
time to test those "Eggnauts"
it was a wonderful day
This was just a tiny effort to show the beauty of the Universe to children. We all need to play our part, continue our effort to educate the future generations, to help them to discover our Universe , to make the world a better place.
People in the Horn of Africa, living under the same sky as we live, are suffering from hunger and drought. Join us on August 13 to help the famine victims of Somalia.
Ever since the ancient times human being has been staring at the stars above, wondering what they are. One of these dazzling stars is the Sun, which is closer than any other star to the Earth. Our Sun has witnessed everything happened on Earth; the formation of life, all creatures, existence of human and his eagerness for knowing and finding more about the Universe. The Sun has been a witness to every crisis on earth; happiness and misery as well as war and peace. But recently the Sun is much more displease than any other time as with every dawn it observes the same old story of poverty and starvation in North Africa; this time even wider and much more tragic. The story of the drought crisis, civil wars, and enforced immigration of Somalis to find a secure place to survive, is a remarkable conflict of men against nature and men against his own race.
Many cultural and scientific organizations and NGOs around the Globe are trying to make peace and invite people to put an end to the battle of men against nature. StarPeace believes that all of us should participate in helping of the victims. According to the news, the situation is critical, and the experts warn us that even a small delay has a great impact: “Tomorrow is Late”. StarPeace invite all the members and cooperators to hold a public stargazing night in their cities and towns on August 13 to organize a fund raising event in order to help the drought victims of Somali. Donation might be inadequate, but it may well be sufficient to provide the victims a meal.
We all hope the innocent Somali children, who are enduring a hard time in refugee camps, will soon spend their nights under the twinkling stars of the Sky without suffering from hunger and fear.
It's not usual to have professional astronomers visiting Sri Lanka, in fact the number of Sri Lankan Professional Astronomers are probably less than a dozen and most of them resides abroad except Prof. Kavan Ratnatunga, a retired research astronomer who's settled in Colombo enjoying his hobbies and serving as the President of Sri Lankan Astronomical Association. Of course whenever any of our astronomers visit Sri Lanka for holiday, I never miss the opportunity to get hold of them and organize events locally. It's not everyday you meet an astronomer, and students find it fascinating to meet and discuss astronomy with a "real" astronomer.
Other than the Sri Lankan astronomers, we have been visited time to time over the years by a foreign astronomer - Michael Snowden - who's very fond of Sri Lanka, and a long term friend of late Sir Arthur C Clarke. I met Micahel through Prof. Kavan in 2005 and ever since we have been good friends and done quite a few programs together. In his last visit in March 2010, I organized a discussion session called "Ask an Astronomer" for few high school students which turned out to be very well received. The objective of the session was to gather couple of students who are serious about pursuing higher studies in Astronomy and give them an opportunity to interact with an astronomer directly, learning, raising their questions, sharing their views...
Michael returned last month again, and as usual I organized couple of events with him. We managed to do another session on "Ask an Astronomer" with 6 high school students. The discussion started with Michael talking about Exoplanets - a much discussed topic these days and then the students got the opportunity to join the discussion raising questions and talking various aspects of Astronomy. Also another important subject discussed during the session was higher education in Astronomy! Each student talked about their field of interest in astronomy and was advised how they can achieve it, what are the available options, etc... Overall the session went well clearing some doubts, sharing more knowledge and most of all inspiring them to continue the path to higher education in Astronomy.
This was a much needed session as Sri Lanka currently is in a critical place as there are only 2 students doing higher studies in Astronomy or related fields. Although the interest in astronomy among students is high, many hesitant to continue that enthusiasm to do higher studies mainly due to lack of guidance, financial support, less awareness of opportunities, etc... Via Sri Lanka Astronomical Association, we hope to hold more of these sessions to help the students and encourage them to pursuit their dream.
Cosmic Treasures is an online event giving you a unique opportunity of experiencing Universe through the Virtual Telescope at Bellatrix Observatory in Italy. You will be able to see beautiful cosmic treasures of the Universe such as galaxies, nebulae and clusters of stars in real time, with live commentary by astrophysicist Dr. Gianluca Masi. This is a free event and open to anyone. You can also chat with others online during the event, interact with the Dr. Masi in real time, or just watch and listen while exploring the Universe. Experience One People, One Sky as we share the sky together.
When the Northern Hemisphere will experience their “shortest” day while the Southern Hemisphere will celebrate their “longest” day of the year, AWB invites astronomy groups around the world to join in with the 4th Seasons Without Borders event to celebrate solstice which will occur on December 21st, 2010, officially at 23:38 UTC.
Join with AWB in December to explore the beauty of Universe and enjoy the feeling of One Sky One People.
April 2011 will again be a busy month for amateur and professional astronomers, educators and astronomy enthusiasts as Global Astronomy Month (GAM) returns for its second edition. The annual event, organized by Astronomers Without Borders, celebrates the Universe in the spirit of the International Year of Astronomy 2009 cornerstone project "100 Hours of Astronomy."
Astronomy clubs, science centers, schools, educators, and other astronomy enthusiasts worldwide are invited to reserve dates in April 2011 for public outreach, hands-on activities, observing sessions and more while sharing the enthusiasm with others across the globe during Global Astronomy Month. Everyone is invited either to join the global programs or initiate their own activities during April 2011.
This is the second edition of GAM, after its launch last year, when Astronomers Without Borders (AWB) coordinated seven global events dedicated to remote observing, fighting light pollution, world peace, observations of the sky and cultural manifestations, as well as encouraging the organization of local events.
GAM2010 Trailer
A growing list of global programs are scheduled for GAM 2011. The month kicks off with the lord of the rings on April 2/3, designated as Saturn Watch. With the planet at its closest to Earth, it's a perfect night to admire the unequaled beauty of the ringed planet. On April 9 the Global Star Party will unfold as darkness sweeps around the Earth. This is the night to set up your telescopes and share the wonders of the sky with others. From April 10 to 16 it's Lunar Week as our gaze turns toward Earth's natural satellite. Just as the Moon has captured our imagination for millennia, it never fails to fascinate with close-up views of its craters and mare. Educational and cultural events dedicated to the Moon are also planned. On April 17 we switch from night to day, dedicating ourselves to our closest star on SunDay. The month closes on a high point with a peak - of meteors. On April 21/22 get comfortable in something warm and spend the night scanning the sky for meteors caused by debris left behind by Comet Thatcher. An incredible show awaits during Lyrids Watch.
More programs are to come as GAM grows with every group of people that joins us in the celebration of the Universe. Among these are Remote Observing Programs and a Cosmic Concert.
If you need another reason to join us during Global Astronomy Month, try these:
* GAM lets your science center or astronomy club participate in an internationally recognized project; * GAM provides several events to attract visitors to your institution or astronomy club; * GAM allows you to connect with your local community, including public authorities and the media; * GAM gives you the chance to inspire young people to look up and wonder. Show your commitment to educating young people.
"There's something for everyone", says Mike Simmons, President of Astronomers Without Borders. IYA2009 showed the way to involving more people than ever," and GAM is riding that wave of excitement in the discovery of our Universe."
Join the celebration in April 2011 as Global Astronomy Month brings together thousands of passionate individuals and hundreds of organizations worldwide to share their enthusiasm in innovative new ways, connecting people through a great sense of sharing the Universe! It's a month of celebrating Astronomers Without Borders' motto - One People, One Sky!
Save the dates - April 2011 is Global Astronomy Month.
Astronomers Without Borders is dedicated to fostering understanding and goodwill across national and cultural boundaries by creating relationships through the universal appeal of astronomy. Astronomers Without Borders projects promote sharing, all through a common interest in something basic and universal - sharing the sky.
For further information please contact:
Mike Simmons President, Astronomers Without Borders Chair, GAM2011 Working Group mikes@gam-awb.org +1 818 486 7633
Beginning of July 2010 concluded one of the most exciting sporting event - FIFA2010. While many football fans around the world celebrated the victories and the losing, Astronomers Without Border's National Coordinator for Iraq - Azhy Hasan came up with the idea to celebrate the World Cup with a touch of astronomy and peace - "A Match Under Starlight".
Amateur Astronomers Association of Kurdistan celebrated the event by gathering a youth group to play a football match which was followed by an observation session. Players enjoyed beautiful views of Saturn and medals for participating in the match. Azhy who organized this event took the extra effort to show the unity of other AWB member countries by displaying the national flags and playing the national anthems. You can see some unforgettable photos and a video of the event here.
Group from Iraq says "YES TO PEACE"
This wonderful event was also celebrated by UNAWE - Romania. With the collaboration of “Angela Gheorghiu” School from Adjud, Vrancea, UNAWE Romania, organized a football game with 23 children aged between 5 and 9. All the children were awarded with a "Stellar Football Player" diploma for their enthusiasm and spirit. You can see this wonderful effort in a report with photos put together by Catalina Movileanu of UNAWE - Romania here.
kids with national flags pinned to shirts playing football
Another event to celebrate the project was organized by “Rudolf Walter” foundation – Timisoara branch, the Astronomical Observatory of Timisoara, and the “Antares” astro-club of Timisoara. Kids at the “Rudolf Walther” foundation (a model institution where disadvantaged kids are educated and cared for) got to play football which was followed by 3-D projections and captivating talks. The kids got a special treat as well, Andrei Juravle – owner of astrovest.ro – donated a telescope. You can read a report of this event with photos put together by Virgiliu Pop of Romanian Space Agency here.
Virgiliu Pop kicking off the match
Many thanks to everyone who participated in this wonderful project highlighting world peace and the joy of togetherness. We hope you will join us in future events.
Credit: The beautiful poster of the project was designed by Azhy Hasan.
Above two images definitely sums up everything happened yesterday - Sunday 11 July 2010 - and it was one of those days you completely rely on technology and be thankful about it. Being able to watch two amazing events, FIFA 2010 Finals and the Total Solar Eclipse via internet simultaneously and share it with others was a great experience.
A total solar eclipse occurs when the moon passes between the sun and the Earth, blocking its rays and casting a shadow. The eclipse took place on the 11 July 2010 followed an 11,000km (6.900-mile) path over the South Pacific. The longest time of eclipse - five minutes and 20 seconds - was over the sea.
It's reported that some 5000 astronomers were spread out across the atolls of French Polynesia catch this spectacular solar eclipse. And few among this group took the extra effort to web-stream the Eclipse online for the rest of the world to watch!
As an effort to expand their outreach, I contacted few eclipse chasers, researched more and compiled a list of web-streams to one place, so everyone can easily access. This effort was publicized via Facebook, Twitter and other email groups. Should note that many of my twitter and facebook friends did a great job by sharing it with more people.
The first live web stream came via a group from Wakayama University at Hao (French Polynesia). Below are some screen captures from their web stream.
Few minutes into the Totality it got clouded and Wakayama web-stream went off line. Then a group called Shelios started a web-stream. Below are some screen captures from their web-stream.
During the 5-hour event, sky watchers spent as much as 4 minutes completely enveloped in the Moon's shadow watching in awe as the solar corona revealed itself to the human eye.
As soon as the eclipse ended, photos started pouring in, and it was a well treat for everyone. Below are some of the best images available up to now ( 5:30UT 12 July 2010). Enjoy!
Photo by Donald Gardner (Atoll de Hao, French Polynesia)
Photo by Donald Gardner (Atoll de Hao, French Polynesia)
Photo by Donald Gardner (Atoll de Hao, French Polynesia)
Photo by Donald Gardner (Atoll de Hao, French Polynesia)
Photo by Constantinos Emmanouilidis (Mangaia, Cook Islands)
Photo by AFP (Martin Bernetti)
Photo by Bill Kramer (Paul Gauguin - South of Tahiti)
Photo by Alson Wong (Paul Gauguin - South of Tahiti)
Photo by Alson Wong (Paul Gauguin - South of Tahiti)
Photo by Alson Wong (Paul Gauguin - South of Tahiti)
Photo by Stefan Krause from El Calafate-Argentina
Shelios expedition crew after the Eclipse and celebrating the Spain victory
It was a fantastic Sunday with the Total Solar Eclipse and the FIFA 2010 finals. If you missed the eclipse live feed, check the below video complied by Reuters.
First video from Reuters
Image: above images are copyrighted by the respective photographer.
