The main reason of participating at the CAP2010 conference in Cape Town, besides attending the “Astronomy101 school”, was to deliver a paper entitled “World Space Week and Yuri’s Night as means of communicating astronomy with the Romanian public”:

“This paper will present two yearly opportunities – Yuri’s Night April 12th) and the World Space Week (October 4-12th) and the ways they are used by the Romanian astronomical community as means of communicatng astronomy with the omanian public, especially with the youth”

Photos courtesy of Jim Volp and psychohistorian.org

World Space Week and Yuri’s Night as Means of Communicating Astronomy with the Romanian Public

Christina Scott (“Science Matters” (SAfm), associate editor, science: Mail & Guardian; ZA) invited some participants at the Astronomy101 school to be her guests on her radio show. I was happy to share with the South African public news about the Romanian Space Agency and its soon-too-be-launched CubeSat, Goliat, and about other space matters in Romania.

As a practical means of communicating astronomy with the public, we headed to the Isilimela High School in the Langa Township. Jim Volp and I, together with the other Astronomy101 students, interacted with the township kids, answered some of their questions about the Universe, and helped them launch water rockets.