2024 September 25
100 Hours of Astronomy – 2nd to 5th October 2024
The International Astronomical Union’s 100 Hours of Astronomy global event will be held 2-5 October this year with the aim of making astronomy accessible to everyone. This is a great opportunity to share your love of astronomy and encourage more people to look up at the stars.
A new UK 100 Hours project will be helping total beginners to take their first steps in astronomy. If you have friends or family who wouldn’t know where to start then this is an easy way for them to enjoy stargazing from home alongside other people across the country. All they need is a mobile phone and a clear sky (the first criteria is probably easier to meet than the second!).
The 100hours.online website will offer four simple stargazing challenges for total beginners. These include finding some of the brightest and best-known star patterns, and will also explain how to find a planet in the night sky. Note: The mobile phone app and the challenges will not go ‘live’ until 2nd October.
By completing challenges, users can win virtual badges and mark their achievements on their town or city on the UK map. There’s no need to give emails or exact locations; it’s easy and anonymous. Have a look and see how many people have participated from your location!
The app will also provide information on astronomy events local to the user, and encourage them to get involved.
Please encourage your non-astro friends and families to participate by pointing them toward the website. We’ll be posting a link on Facebook and Twitter/X when everything is live, so if you use social media it will be easy to share that post. It would be great if you could encourage people to share their activities on social media too.
The UK 100 Hours website activities have been organised by the IAU National Outreach Coordinator team for the UK in partnership with Go Stargazing and the Royal Astronomical Society. You can follow the event on their Instagram at @IAU_OAO_NOC. The activities are completely free thanks to sponsorship from the Federation of Astronomical Societies and the British Astronomical Association.
| The British Astronomical Association supports amateur astronomers around the UK and the rest of the world. Find out more about the BAA or join us. |