On May 30, Irkutsk residents can view the Moon and Saturn through a telescope as part of the Sidewalk Astronomers movement marking the 20th anniversary of the Irkutsk Astro Club. If the weather fails, observations will move to May 31, and the event will take place by the Alexander III monument from 10 p.m. to midnight. Organizers invite schoolchildren, students and anyone interested in astronomy, and will also talk about their work, from telescope building to astrophotography.
In good weather, on May 30 everyone will be able to look through a telescope at the Moon and the planet Saturn, and in case of cloudiness, on May 31.This year the Irkutsk Astroclub turns 20 years old. The event is held at the monument to Alexander III from 10 p.m. to midnight, and it is dedicated to the anniversary of the Irkutsk Astroclub.
The club members are waiting for new friends and like-minded people -
schoolchildren and students interested in astronomy. The priority areas of activity of the Irkutsk Astroclub are:
amateur telescope making
popularization of astronomical knowledge among schoolchildren
astrophotography
The “Sidewalk Astronomers” campaign was invented by American astronomers. They set the goal of making more than a thousand telescopes available to the public worldwide. The project is being carried out as part of the International Year of Astronomy - 2009 has been declared as such. Exactly 400 years ago, Galileo Galilei first looked through a telescope and saw the moon. And today, 4 centuries later, people are once again and again discovering outer space for themselves.
Similar events have been held by the Irkutsk astroclub before as well, with the aim of popularizing astronomy. They were attended by tens of thousands of people - schoolchildren, students, teachers, astronomy enthusiasts from Irkutsk, Shelekhov, Angarsk, Bratsk, and other cities and towns of the Irkutsk region.