As part of ASTC’s participation in the International Year of Astronomy (IYA2009), we are organizing an international live webcast devoted to space observation broadcasted from The Franklin Institute. The webcast will illustrate various ways of observing space, from naked eye observations and illustration of indigenous knowledge systems to a demonstration of the power and beauty of a ‘3D-virtual telescope,’ which will allow one to visualize and compare data from real telescopes in a 3-demensional environment. Active participation from MTN Science Center in Cape Town, South Africa will feature participation from 6-10 year old school children. The Armagh Planetarium in Ireland will examine the mechanisms of meteorite impacts in association with staff and students from two special needs schools. The Planetarium in Hamburg, Germany will illustrate how the world has changed because of Galileo’s discoveries and, lastly, the “Ellinogermaniki Agogi” school in Greece will demonstrate how the 1.2m robotic telescope at the observatory can be used for educational purposes and will give the opportunity for students to perform remote observations.
You can watch this event live on Thursday, April 2, 2009 beginning at 1:00pm EDT at www.100hoursofastronomy.org and click on the Ustream.tv link at the right.
The official opening of 100 Hours of Astronomy at the Franklin Institute in Philadelphia, PA begins at 11:00am EDT, that same day. The opening event includes a presentation of orginal telescopes used by Galileo and a tour of the exclusive exhibition created in Florance, Italy which opens at the Franklin Institute Saturday, April 4.
There is still time to participate in the webcast. For more information, contact Walter Staveloz at wstaveloz@astc.org.
