Sidewalk Astronomy

As an amateur astronomer, perhaps one of the easiest ways to share your love of stargazing with others, is to engage in Sidewalk Astronomy activities and events. They can be planned or spontaneous; involve a dozen astronomers or just yourself. You can target something as easy as the Moon or something as challenging as a Messier object - regardless, sidewalk astronomy is perfect for recreating those oohs and aahs you first experienced yourself. Not to mention a great opportunity for more people to have Galileo moments during the International Year of Astronomy (IYA2009)!

Getting Started

Choose a location which is accessible to the public, keeping in mind that the brighter the surrounding lights, the harder it may be to see some of the more challenging targets. Seek out permission to set up on a particular property beforehand, if necessary.

Make sure you are familiar with what will be up in the sky that night, along with your specific targets. There are bound to be many questions! While you do not need to be an expert, knowing a little bit about the constellations and planets that are up that evening will go a long way toward answering questions. See the links below for extra resources.

Arrive at your location early to make sure you have enough light to set up. The longer you are there, too, the more passers-by will see what you are doing and come over to ask questions.

Brian Battersby, of the Royal Astronomical Society of Canada (RASC), has authored a new resource on Sidewalk Astronomy as an IYA2009 activity: Become a Sidewalk Astronomer is a handbook available both from RASC centres as well as on the book's website. It details basic constellations and the "classical" (naked-eye) planets, as well as lists the Moon's phases and an astronomy dictionary, all in the aim of introducing the public to the night sky. This may help you plan a basic observing session, as well as give your audience a goal of becoming an official "sidewalk astronomer" based on what they see that night!

Finally, while advertising your event is not mandatory, informally getting the word out (community bulletin boards, email lists, local events web pages or public announcements) will help spread the word and will result in a larger audience throughout the evening.

Good Sidewalk Astronomy Targets and Resources:

Here are some ideas for easy targets to get your audience hooked! The "Become a Sidewalk Astronomer" handbook (above) is an excellent resource as well.

• The Sun: Solar Observing, SOHO - The Sun Now
• The Moon: Moon Phase Calculator, Phases of the Moon, Moontoday.net
• Constellations: Tour of the night sky, Constellations
• Planets: Planetary Data, The 8 Planets
• Satellites and the ISS: Heavens-Above

More Information on Sidewalk Astronomy:

• What is sidewalk astronomy?
• Sidewalk astronomy made easy
• International Sidewalk Astronomy Night

More astronomy in Canada:

Canadian Astronomy
Canadian Junior Astronomer Program
Introduction to Observing
Buying a Telescope
Astronomy Outreach: Why you should do it, and how to succeed

compiled by the CASCA education Webteam, (2009)