International Astronomy Day at Museum of Natural History in Santa Barbara

Krissie Cook who oversees the astronomy department at the Museum of Natural History in Santa Barbara is organizing a big festival for April 29th, the International Astronomy Day. The Santa Barbara Astronomical Unit (https://sbau.org/) is one of the oldest astronomy outreach organizations in the US, and it’s members will join to help with the festival. It is going to be a community event to be held at the Camino Real Marketplace in Santa Barbara. The event will be between 10am-4pm during the day. Then between 8pm-10pm they will have a star party where they bring telescopes out, but I’m not planning to participate on this given that I have to drive back. I’m letting you know in case anyone would like to stay.

Krissie is planning hands-on activities, and maybe solar viewing if the sun decides to cooperate. I will volunteer in this event and I’m looking for more people that is interested in going. The activities include:

1. Making a model to understand the size and distance between the Earth and the Moon.
2. Making a quick model of the solar system to understand distances between planets.
3. Using 3D versions of the Sun, Moon and Earth to understand eclipses.
4. A game to understand when life appeared on Earth and when complex life appeared, and what can we learn from that about life in other planets.
5. A demonstration of the composition of a commet.
6. Use a 3D model to understand the phases of the Moon.
7. A game to understand the curved space around a Black Hole and why light cannot escape.

The set up for these activities will be provided by Krissie, we just need to explain the activities to the public and answer their questions. I’ll send around manuals describing the activities to the people that is interested.

I’m going to be driving there so I can take 3 people with me. I believe there is no reimbursement for gas. I will probably leave Pasadena between 7 and 8am, and I’ll come back as soon as the event is done at 4pm. I will stay at the event the whole day, but people can choose if they want to do a shorter shift.