I’m sorry this is such late notice, nobody let me know this was happening. Although sidewalk astronomers have been hitting the streets in the US for years, Saturday, May 19, 2007 is going to be the first International Sidewalk Astronomy Night.
If you’ve never heard of Sidewalk Astronomy, it’s an absolutely ingenious idea founded by John Dobson – inventor of the Dobsonian telescope. Amateur astronomers take their trusty telescopes out to public locations, like parks and busy streets, and give the general public a chance to see some of the most spectacular objects. They time the events so that major planets, the Moon, etc are visible in the early evening; objects visible from light polluted skies.
And this year, that evening is May 19.
Unlike previous years, the event is going international. Amateur astronomers will be setting up their scopes across the entire planet, from San Francisco to Sao Paulo to Kharkov. The event organizers are hoping to get 1,000 telescopes set up across the planet, engaging the public in astronomy.
If you’re an amateur astronomer, and want to help out, or if you want to find out where an event is happening near you so you can check out what they have to offer, visit their site here.