Global Astronomy Month 

With the purpose of creating a large community of astronomy enthusiasts who span the globe, Global Astronomy Month encourages people of all ages to get involved with and excited about the stars!

History of Global Astronomy Month

Global Astronomy Month was founded in 2010 as a follow-up to the International Year of Astronomy, which took place in 2009. The initiative came on the heels of the 100 Hours of Astronomy (100HA), led by the Astronomers Without Borders (AWB) organization.

These invitations for the public include those for amateur astronomers and those who are simply interested in stars, encouraging everyone to get involved with the beauty of nature as it is experienced through the stars.

Global Astronomy Month takes place in the spring and some other events are often included in April or soon after, such as International Astronomy Day.

How to Celebrate Global Astronomy Month

The ways of celebrating Global Astronomy Month might be as many as the stars! Okay, perhaps a few less, but there are still plenty of opportunities to get involved and participate in events and activities, including some of these:

Host a Global Star Party

One of the events featured through Astronomers Without Borders and Global Astronomy Month are their Global Star Parties.

These events are encouraged to be held in places all over the world where local people are invited to join together to look at the stars. This can happen through the naked eye, binoculars or full-on telescopes that are shared within the community. Folks who are hosting events can add them to the

Past events like Global Star Parties have had participants from more than 50 countries and encourage thousands of individuals to look up at night and gaze at the stars.

Folks who are hosting events can add them to the calendar on the AWB website.

Join AstroArts and AstroPoetry Events

While the stars may be very, very far away, they can still be deeply inspirational when it comes to creativity and the arts!

Global Astronomy Month encourages people everywhere to share their love for the night sky through pieces of visual artwork or word-smithing poetry.

Access the Virtual Telescope Project

Even if the sky is cloudy or there’s no access to the necessary equipment, people can hop online to enjoy some amazing views of the night sky with the Virtual Telescope Project.

Head over to their facebook page or website to get more information on how to gaze at the night sky with online resources.

Join the Globe at Night Program

Globe at Night is an international citizen-science initiative created to measure the light around the world at night to better understand the impact of light on the world.

During Global Astronomy Month, measure this “right to starlight” campaign by submitting results on the Globe at Night website.

For more star-gazing fun, consider celebrating Global Sleep Under the Stars Month on August 8.