The CosmoQuest Hangout-a-thon

A few years ago I got involved with an activity called 365 Days of Astronomy, which invited people to create podcasts about astronomy and publish them through the organisers. It was part of the International Year of Astronomy activities. It was a lot of fun and reached out to a lot of people. The organisers went on to create Cosmoquest, which is a sort of virtual laboratory where people from all walks of life can participate in citizen science initiatives. It also has a significant educational and outreach presence online and in “meatspace”.

In April, I wrote about the impending budget cuts that are threatening science outreach, particularly at NASA and the NSF. Those cuts also threaten folks like the Cosmoquest people, and even affect people like me who create science media for use in planetariums and science centers. So, I have that interest in seeing science research and outreach thrive, in addition to all the good reasons we need to do science anyway. And, when I got a note from Pamela Gay, one of the Cosmoquest honchos (honchettes?) about their Hang0ut-a-thon being held this weekend to raise money for science research and outreach, I immediately said “yes” when she asked me to let you all know about it.

They’ve got science discussions, interviews with various scientists and writers, and lots of other things going on. And, of course, they’re asking for your support. So, if you have a few coins (or a lot of them) to help fund science research and outreach, check out the Hangout-a-thon. They’ll be doing it through Sunday, so plenty of time to hop over and see what’s happening!

Our Fulldome Video Wins an Award

Last week I was in Germany at the international Jena Fulldome Festival, held at the Zeiss Planetarium. The Festival is a great way to see lots of fulldome videos (my company, Loch Ness Productions creates fulldome videos as part of our work in science and astronomy outreach).

This year we entered our short fulldome production called Losing the Dark, which we created for the International Dark-Sky Association. The festival organizer was quite interested in the subject and invited us to send it along. Not only did it play during the festival judging of some 80 fulldome videos, but it was also shown during the Festival’s Gala Awards night. AND, it won an Honorable Mention, up against some pretty stiff competition!

We’re pretty pleased that this little 6.5-minute entry garnered praise and interest from the international attendees of this festival. But, then again, light pollution is a problem that affects us all (as the video points out). It’s a problem that CAN be dealt with, as evidenced by the growing public interest and media stories I’ve been seeing about light pollution, light trespass, and their effects on both human and wildlife.

Here’s a flat-screen version of the video, which will give you an idea of the scope of the problem.

It’s a simple message about a complex issue that can be solved beginning with some simple steps.  If you’re interested in getting the video for your classroom, it’s free!  Check out the IDA’s Web site for HD downloads. You can also use the video in a classic planetarium (i.e. one that hasn’t converted to fulldome video) by downloading a flatscreen version and playing it through a single video projector onto your dome.

If you’re a fulldome theater operator, it’s available to you in many different formats from the Loch Ness Productions Losing the Dark Web page, where you’ll find all the details.

Here’s a fulldome preview for those of you in digital domes:

Watch it, download it (or contact us about getting frames for use in large theaters), use it to start a conversation about light pollution with your students, audiences, friends, and neighbors! It’s a timely, impressive, and thanks to the judges at the Jena Fulldome Festival, award-winning!