What do Sun-Earth Day, the Spring Equinox, and International Sidewalk Astronomy Night have in common?  In addition to recognizing our planet’s relationship to the cosmos, this year all three occur on March 20 and you can celebrate  in one fun event!

International Sidewalk Astronomy Night:

“Billions of Eyes are waiting!”

It is with those words that John Dobson encourages all of us to share the night sky with others.  On March 20, people all across the world are taking Dobson’s words to heart with the 4^th Annual International Sidewalk Astronomy Night!

You don’t have to be an astronomer, or even own expensive equipment, to encourage others to Look Up – just take your knowledge, your binoculars, or your telescope to a public setting and share what you do know and have with others.  It doesn’t even matter that public settings are typically not the darkest sites to observe.  There’s plenty of wow-factor with the Moon, Venus, Mars, Saturn, and some of the brighter stars – especially if you take a moment to share some fun facts about each.  Public settings also offer the perfect opportunity to talk about light pollution.  You could even hand-out a few flyers about responsible lighting techniques to make your event more meaningful!

Whether you live in a small town or a big city – whether you’ve a telescope, a pair of binoculars, or even just your eyes – whether you share with one person or a hundred – the point is to get out there and encourage people to look up.  Show them why you’re so excited about the night sky and why they should be too!

So, what kind of brighter sky events can you share in a lighted public area on March 20, especially if you’ve only a pair of binoculars or even just your eyes?  If you’re out early enough, you can start with our closest planet, Venus, shining like some divine diamond on the sunset horizon.  Then there’s our dusty red neighbor, Mars, sparkling high in the south-southeast sky.  Closer to the horizon, slightly west of Mars, you’ll find the brightest star in the night sky, Sirius.  There’s also one of the largest, most luminous stars known, the red-supergiant Betelgeuse, almost directly above Sirius.  If the light pollution isn’t too bad, you may be able to point out the famous Big Dipper, on the northeast horizon.  For a special treat, you can share our waxing crescent moon, serendipitously paired with the Pleiades star cluster! Last, but not least – in fact, always a favorite – don’t forget to show off Saturn, rising in the east.

Of course, you’ll want to take advantage of the moment to promote Sun-Earth Day and share some fun facts about the Spring Equinox.  Sun-Earth Day was established by NASA and ESA ten years ago to acknowledge our planet’s relationship with the Sun.  Each year features a specific Sun-Earth connection – this year, the focus is on “Magnetism“.  You can incorporate Sun-Earth Day into your ISAN event with some fun hands-on activities, magnetism facts hand-outs, properly-equipped solar viewing, or by using your laptop to create an instant exhibit, such as a Sunwatchers Through Time feature or an interactive Traditions of the Sun adventure.  You might even like to take the NASA Sun-Earth Day Challenge – they’re offering event certificates and will be sharing participants’ sunspot images and sketches on their website!

Not surprisingly, Sun-Earth Day is timed with the Spring (or Vernal) Equinox.  You can teach others about this yearly event by using your laptop computer to display this very cool animation or by simply sharing some information from this March Equinox Explained web page.

Whatever you do and however you do it, have fun, be safe, and consider any permissions you may need for your set-up location.  Pack a “comfort” bag with a flashlight (preferably red-filtered,) personal snacks and beverages, and a sweater or blanket; and take a friend or family member, and a couple of chairs, with you.  Oh, and don’t forget to post your event so others can find you!

So, go on – don’t be shy. Get out there and share the night sky!  Remember – billions of eyes are waiting!

International Sidewalk Astronomy Night (ISAN2010) webpage

The Sidewalk Astronomers website

Sidewalk Astronomers on Facebook

NASA’s Sun-Earth Day 2010 website

Tags: Betelgeuse, Big Dipper, International Sidewalk Astronomy Night, ISAN, Magnetism, Mars, Moon, Pleaides, Saturn, Sirius, Spring Equinox, Sun-Earth Day, Venus, Vernal Equinox

This entry was posted on Tuesday, March 16th, 2010 at 3:58 pm and is filed under Citizen Science, Earth, ISS, Light Pollution, Moon, NASA, Night Sky, Outreach, Planets, Sun. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.