BellaOnline Forums Education Astronomy April is Global Astronomy Month

Global Astronomy Month (GAM), organized each April by Astronomers Without Borders, is the world's largest global celebration of astronomy. Every year GAM brings new ideas and new opportunities, bringing enthusiasts together worldwide to celebrate Astronomers Without Borders' motto One People, One Sky.

You could write a poem about the beauty of the moon, because Fly Me to the Moon is the GAM theme for 2018.
Or maybe a constellation or stellar pattern has caught your eye...perhaps a lunar eclipse, a flurry of meteors.
Join the fun and enter the AstroPoetry Contest. Poems from children, teens and adults are welcome!

There will be three categories:
1. Children grades 1-6
2. Children & Young Adults grades 7-12
3. Open (Adults)

Click to find out more about the AstroPoetry Contest for GAM2018

Interested in space art? Saturday, April 7 at 1 PM - 2 PM EDT, join GAM for a Facebook Live event! Learn about Chesley Bonestell, an artist whose space art may have helped increase the momentum for exploration of the solar system in the United States.

Mike Simmons and Andrew Fazekas of Astronomers Without Borders WB's will moderate a cast of all-star guests including producer, director Doug Stewart of the new documentary film “Chesley Bonestell: a Brush with the Future”. Also renowned space artist and authority on Bonestell’s art, Ron Miller; AstroArtist and former NASA astronaut Nicole Stott; and actor and avid amateur astronomer Tim Russ, who played Vulcan character Tuvok on hit TV series Star Trek: Voyager.

Click here to register for the online event.

This year's GAM is celebrating the Moon. Here's a lovely little video A New View of the Moon relating how one amateur astronomer became a sidewalk astronomer. The delight of passers-by is contagious. "look up more often."

Astronomers Without Borders and its partners have a rich schedule of programs and events for Global Astronomy Month 2018 (GAM2018), all designed to inform and inspire the public throughout the world.

OREGON - USA

Join Umpqua Astronomers at UCC Morgan Observatory to tour the moon, spy Venus and Jupiter and travel to the stars on April 21st at 8 p.m. PDT. Umpqua Community College 1100 College Road Roseburg Oregon 97470 Morgan Observatory. No entry fee.

More about Paul Morgan Observatory

Since the Moon is the Global Astronomy Month theme, I thought I'd share this with you.

This NASA Video Tour of the Moon in 4K Is Simply Breathtaking

This week is International Dark Sky Week.

Light pollution isn't just a problem for astronomers. It means the loss of an amenity for all of us now and the generations that follow. It affects the natural world, can ruin our health, wastes resources, and what's more, we're paying for it!

Light Pollution

The Moon moves through Leo.

On the nights of April 23 to 25, 2018, the moon is moving through the constellation Leo the Lion. You can see it pass close to Leo's brightest star Regulus on the 24th. Or if you happen to be watching in Central Russia, you can see the Moon hide [occult] Regulus for a time.

Last summer the Moon eclipsed the Sun, as viewed from Earth. What might we see from the Moon if Earth were eclipsing the Sun?

Total solar eclipse: the Sun a black circle framed by an ethereal corona. Dark enough to see stars, and for birds to go to sleep – yet an eerie darkness unlike night. The Sun can also be eclipsed on other Solar System planets as long as they have moons. But what would we see from our own Moon?

Are There Solar Eclipses on the Moon

Followers of social media may know what a “black moon” is. It has been linked to dramatic predictions of doom and gloom. However it's not an astronomical term. So what is a black moon and would we survive it?

Black Moon – Is That a Thing ?

Water on the Moon

Everybody had known for a long time that the Moon was bone dry. In the nineties probes found some evidence of water. After a big announcement of water on the Moon, it went back again to being described as dry. What's the story in the 21st century?

What Is a Supermoon

Sometimes the media are full of stories about a supermoon. They may even include dire predictions of earthquakes, tsunamis and other disasters. What is a supermoon and should you be worried - or excited?

SUNDAY, APRIL 29 and 15:00 UT (8 AM - 9 AM EDT)
Sketching the Moon Workshop with Bettina Forget
Hosted by Global Astronomy Month

The Moon makes a great target for amateur astronomers: it's easy to spot, visible even in a light-polluted urban environment, and makes for great photographs. But if you really want to get acquainted with the Moon, the best way is to draw it. During her Sketching the Moon workshop, artist Bettina Forget will share some of her tips and tricks for drawing lunar features. All you'll need is a pencil and some paper. No "talent" required - everyone can draw!

Please sign up and invite your friends to this kid-friendly workshop!

Facebook Live Moon Sketching Workshop

Blood Moons sounds very dramatic. It could even be the title of a fantasy novel. But what is a “Blood Moon”? What is a lunar tetrad? And is it as apocalyptic as it sounds? Have a look.

Blood Moons and Lunar Tetrads

How much do people know about our next-door neighbor the Moon? For example, does the full moon drive people crazy? Apparently not - unless maybe they're astronomers trying to observe faint nebulae. Here are ten common moon myths and lunar lapses.

Moon Madness

The Moon has been the object of awe and fascination since our humanoid ancestors first looked up into the sky. Test your knowledge about Moon and maybe find out some interesting new facts about it.

The Moon - Quiz

GAM 2018 Farewell Facebook Live

Astronomers Without Borders are hosting a public Facebook event. "Join us for our Global Astronomy Month 2018 wrap-up event with AWB staff and volunteers sharing major highlights throughout the month of April festivities."

Tune-in for this event on our Astronomers Without Borders Facebook page on May 11th @ 12 pm EDT /1600UT