Astronomy Day by Katie Carrell

Last month ASN-LV celebrated Astronomy Day by sharing our love of the stars with others. We were set up at Galleria Mall, with an informational booth and telescopes. At the informational booth we had lots of hand outs including sky maps, photos of objects, posters, magazines, and much more! Steve Belew supplied the club with his “Star Gazer”™ software, and we gave virtual tours of the night sky all day. I set up an area for kids where they could get coloring pictures, word searches, and stencils. There was also a station where they could make a constellation on a cup and light it with a flashlight to see what it would look like in the night sky. During the day there were telescopes set up outside with solar filters for viewing sunspots. After 6:00 we packed up the booth and went outside to assist with the telescopes. When the sun went down we put the telescopes on Jupiter, Saturn, and the moon. Most of the people were fascinated by what they could see. We invited them all to our meeting at the college for the lunar eclipse.

Starting in California in 1973, Doug Berger decided to entice people to do more than travel long distances just to view objects from open house planetariums. He urged people to set up telescopes, binoculars and other items for the public to view through all over at malls, shopping centers, and anywhere people gathered. His idea was a success. People found out about astronomy clubs, and found a love for astronomy. Thus, Astronomy Day was born. Today there are about 15 organizations that support Astronomy Day activities. Some of them include:
· Astronomical League
· Astronomical Society of the Pacific,
· American Astronomical Society,
· Western Amateur Astronomers and,
· Association of Astronomy Educators

Every year Astronomy Day is celebrated at the end of Astronomy Week. Astronomy Day is celebrated every year between April and Mid May. It also is always before or near the first quarter moon. Next year Astronomy Week is April 19th to April 25th with Astronomy Day occurring on April 24th.

Now people all over the world celebrate this event. So whether you are in Germany or at your own house you can now celebrate it anywhere.

Bibliography:
*http://www.astroleague.org/al/astroday/astroday.html
*http://www2.scc-fl.com/mediarelations/Misc.copy/astrodayhistory.htm