International Year of Light News
SIF launched an IYL 2015 webpage
On the occasion of the International Year of Light and Light-based Technologies in 2015 [IYL 2015], the Italian Physical Society [SIF] is acting as “contact hub” for a number of national learned societies and of national research institutions in Italy.
The SIF is pleased to announce that the IYL 2015 Italian webpage is now available on the SIF website. This page will contain the Italian calendar of events and also other information related to the IYL 2015 in Italy.
For queries, further details and information, and to inform the SIF about an upcoming event please contact the secretariat.
Dark Skies awareness activities
The IAU will promote 5 cornerstone projects (namely Quality Lighting Teaching Kits, Cosmic Light EDU, Light: Beyond the Bulb, Cosmic Light Awareness, and the Galileoscope) to promote the dark skies awareness (as mentioned in the UN declaration) in the IYL 2015 framework through education, awareness campaigns and citizen scientist projects, with very broad objectives targeting students at all ages, formal and informal educators, general public, governmental decision makers and the society at large. We aim to raise awareness of Dark Skies and Light as Cosmic Messenger in the education and astronomy communities by providing different resources, teaching kits, smartphone apps, online tutorials and even on massive open online courses [MOOC] education platforms; involve members of the public in the science process through citizen-science initiatives; encourage the organisations, institutions, as well as local, regional and national governments to approve preservation laws for dark skies; bring the issues of natural environment and energy preservation to the agenda of decision makers.
With these projects, students can measure the night-sky brightness and submit observations from a computer or smartphone. People can use the data to monitor levels of light pollution around the world, as well as understand light pollution’s effects on energy consumption, plants, wildlife, and human health. Cooperating with the lighting engineers, people will find ways to reduce wasteful or inefficient lighting that in return protect the dark skies at the same time. Traveling exhibits of astronomical images and wide dissemination of the Galileoscope will broaden appreciation of night sky celestial wonders and the power of optics to capture faint images.
These projects emerged from several very successful projects organized during the International Year of Astronomy 2009. And using existing networks and platforms like the Global Hands on Universe, Universe Awareness, Galileo Teacher Training Programme, Astronomers without Borders, US Night Sky Network, Astronomical League, Europlanet, The Planetary Society, Sierra Club, Cloudy Nights, SciPop and many others, these programmes would possibly reach more than 100 countries and billions of people.
