Greetings, fellow astrophiles!
The email below landed in the CNYO inbox recently – and a reminder that your eyes, binos, or scope are more than enough to participate outside (then consider any of the many online events likely to happen across the globe (weather-permitting)).
Ask Us Your Questions – Come learn more about the International Observe the Moon Night program, and how you and your club or institution can participate. We’ll introduce you to this year’s program resources including a new event Moon map and Moon viewing guide, advertising materials, and social media shareables. We’ll highlight some recommended hands-on activities. We’ll offer tips and resources for hosting virtual events – and for evaluating them. And we’ll discuss opportunities to stay connected throughout the year. You can ask questions of the International Observe the Moon Night leadership team and of fellow current or prospective event hosts, and share your ideas for your International Observe the Moon Night event.
The webinar will take place on September 10 at 6pm Pacific Time.
Join the Webinar
If you aren’t able to make the webinar live, but would like to hear from us, a recording of the video will be posted after the webinar takes place. And as always if you have any questions, please reach out to us on our Facebook Page or at moon.nasa.gov/observe. We are happy to help!
Registration is Now Open!
Registration for International Observe the Moon Night is now open. Registering as an observer or event host officially marks your participation and connects you with our community around the world. We now have registration options for individual observers, private or household participation, and public events. Let us know how and where you are celebrating so we can add you to the global map.
Register Now
Call for Lunar-Inspired Artwork – We invite you to share and submit your lunar-inspired artwork for this year’s International Observe the Moon Night. We encourage you to interpret the term “artwork” broadly – these works may include multiple forms such as Moon poetry, writings, paintings, sketches, graphic design, or Moon observations from telescopes. Submit your lunar-inspired art to the official Flickr page, using the tag #ObserveTheMoonArt upon submission. You may also submit your creation to be considered for the University of Arizona’s “The Art of Planetary Science” exhibition.
The Moon and Beyond
Lasers in Space – The Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter team successfully bounced a laser beam from Earth off a reflective panel on the spacecraft, which is currently orbiting the Moon. Learn more about the series of two-way laser experiments here or read the scientific paper here.
OSIRIS-REx Test Run The OSIRIS-REx spacecraft, which will collect a sample from asteroid Bennu in October 2020, performed its final practice run of the sampling sequence, reaching an approximate altitude of 131 feet (40 meters) over the sample site. Read more about the test run here, or learn more about the mission here.
