Space Smurfs S02E11

Astronomy Outreach and Science Communication

Astronomy, the study of stars, planets, and other celestial bodies has captivated humans ever since antiquity. Such studies have become even more relevant now since mankind has aspirations of becoming an interplanetary species, perhaps even an intergalactic one. To foster continued interest in astronomy, communication is very vital. It is important to interact with the public, generate awareness and come together to celebrate the magnificence of the night sky.

The recent pictures taken by the JWST prove that people of all backgrounds irrespective of their age, nationality, creed, etc. hold a light in their hearts for the wonders of the Universe. These pictures have enabled people to look far beyond a ‘pale blue dot’ and literally back in time and captured the imagination of thousands across the globe. Such is the power of astronomy outreach and communication.

Credits: NASA

Amateur astronomy clubs are a good beginning point for the general public interested in space. People come, discuss and share insights that enhance collaborative learning. This is an integral part of outreach and communication. Being a part of such clubs enabled access to otherwise hard-to-get resources like telescopes, high-quality cameras for astrophotography, etc.

Nowadays, astronomy and space clubs function in almost every major school or college and this helps generate keen interest from the beginning in the younger populace as well. In the earlier days, before the electronic era, books were the primary form of outreach. Ancient astronomical and mathematical treatises like those of Da Vinci or Aryabhata, still hold relevance in the modern age.

With the advent of televisions and radios, a new form of communication opened up. Carl Sagan’s Cosmos was one of its kind and inspired many to take up a career in space. The historic Moon landings that were telecasted on live TV also deserve a special mention. Nowadays, we have in our palms, one of humanity’s greatest inventions, the internet. All the information you need, you get, in milliseconds. This has brought about a major change. People interested can learn on their own and get to know new stuff happening anywhere in the globe in a jiffy. Meteoroid showers? You can live-stream it. An eclipse? You can safely watch it from the confines of your own home. There is however a major drawback. The human factor involved in normal communication has slowly dissolved.

What’s the point of traveling to a light pollution-free place and sharing a telescope with many, when you can see the view with just a few clicks on your phone? Another significant challenge is the spreading of false or wrong information. However, there is no doubt that the internet has opened new doorways that make the impossible, possible! Finding cool phenomena like supernovas and pulsars are possible through image stacking and running computer programs on them (virtual observatories). This gives us better efficiency and saves a lot of time and effort when compared to the early days of scanning the skies continuously for a very long period of time and doing hand calculations. In fact, many astronomy outreach initiatives involve citizen science in making key scientific discoveries. The general public can utilize campaigns like the IASC (International Asteroid Search Campaign) to find asteroids and even name them after themselves or a platform like Zooniverse, where you can do research and learn about variable stars or even black holes.

References

1. https://iasc.cosmosearch.org/

2. https://www.zooniverse.org/

3. Carl Sagan: Researcher, Educator, Communicator, Advocate and Activist?|?Carl Sagan and

the Tradition of Science?|?Articles and Essays?|?Finding Our Place in the Cosmos: From

Galileo to Sagan and Beyond?|?Digital Collections?|?Library of Congress (loc.gov)