Planetariums, Great Messengers of the Astronomical Research A.…

Planetariums, Great Messengers of the Astronomical
Research
        A. Acker
Planetariums provide up-to date information on scientific advances in Astronomy/ Astrophysics
to their visitors (~1,300,000 per year in France). In this perspective, the "Association des
Planetariums de Langue Française" (APLF, www.aplf-planetariums.org) hosted by the
Strasbourg Observatory (Universite Louis Pasteur), realize high quality Planetarium shows,
based on images and videos (observations and modelisations performed in international
institutes), and produced at different technical levels ­ the show being available both to giant
and small equipments.

Two shows were realized in six langages and distributed by APLF to 40 Planetariums in Europe
and beyond:

· In 2001 "The Planet with a thousand eyes", a show devoted to the Earth seen from space, in
collaboration with the Centre National d'Etudes Spatiales (CNES).

· In 2002 "The mysteries of the southern sky", a show celebrating the 40th Birthday of the
European Southern Observatory (ESO). A new show "Venus and the planets hunters" was
realized in 2004 at the occasion of the Venus transit, with an additional presentation of
extrasolar planets (thanks the support of the French "ministere de la recherche") for 16
European Planetariums.

In addition, APLF is producing and distributing pedagogic tools, in particular a
French/German/English version of an interactive CDrom (with booklet) "Universe Explorer": a
series of exercises based on the observation and analysis of astronomical numerical images by
using computer, a "Hands-on-Universe" product created by the Laurence Hall of Science at the
University of California (Berkeley).


From the Hill of Galileo to the Borders of the Universe: the
Arcetri Outreach Program
        L. Albanese, L. Fini, D. Galli, F. Pacini, F. Palla, G. Risaliti
We shall review the present activities and future plans of the Arcetri Astrophysical Observatory
in the outreach area. These include collaborating with the Florence Planetarium and the
following areas:
1. night time visits to the Observatory
2. day time visits
3. preparation of hands- on exhibits appropriate for different ages
4. special exhibit on "how adaptive optics and interferometry work", a series of experiments for
high school students
5. open day for children in Arcetri
6. development of the Planetarium site www.planetario.fi.it (including a corner for children)
7. more
Public Education and Outreach at the NAIC / Arecibo
Observatory
         D.R. Altschuler & J.L. Alonso
As the site of the world's largest single-dish radio telescope, the Arecibo Observatory is
recognized internationally as one of the most important centers of research in radio astronomy,
solar system studies and space and atmospheric sciences.

As part of its overall mission, "NAIC contributes to the general understanding and appreciation
of science by initiating and participating in public education and outreach programs. NAIC
strengthens scientific and engineering research potential by supporting activities that provide
undergraduate and graduate students with opportunities to further their education".

The Angel Ramos Foundation Visitor Center at the Arecibo Observatory was inaugurated in
early 1997. It is the only facility of its kind in Puerto Rico, an island of four million U.S. citizens.
Since its opening, close to one million visitors have enjoyed the experience of its educational
exhibit program.

Other education and outreach aspects at the Arecibo Observatory, either made possible or
enhanced, by the Visitor Center include the teacher in residence program, summer teacher
workshops, scientific workshops and special seminars, such as the "Comunicando Astronomía
en Hispanoamérica" workshop held in September 2003, and numerous national and
international media presentations related to the activities of the Observatory.


Examples of Scientifically Valid and Engaging Animations
         Greg Bacon
Scientific results sometimes require more compelling imagery, whether it be a painting or
moving pictures. A lot of visuals created by scientist generally utilize the same software used
for research papers, tools meant for communicating to experts. Communicating these results to
the public, whose visual expectations have been shaped by special effects laden films, is much
more challenging. I will present examples of different techniques used in the creation of video
and film. The combination of research-level data and specialized software provides both
accuracy and aesthetics in presenting science to the public.


Hands-on Animation Case Studies: Creating a Continuous
Zoom!
         Greg Bacon
Fly into deep space! Using off-the-shelf tools you can create "cosmic zooms" and transport your
audience from here to there ­ even if "there" is the other side of the universe as seen by the
Hubble Space Telescope. Learn to plunge deep into SPACE.


The Nuts and Bolts of a Good News Story
         L. Barranger & C. Gundy
The science news has been fleshed out and the release is to be generated but what
components make a good News Release? This overview is based on lessons learned and best
practices from the Space Telescope Science Institute. Insights into what components go into a
release package ­ when do you add artwork or video and how does 3D animation fit into the
mix?
IN VIAGGIO FRA LE STELLE, The making of the GSC II
        Bernardi, G., Bucciarelli, B., Ferreri, W., Lattanzi, M.G.,
        Morbidelli, R., Pannunzio, R., Smart, R.L., Vecchiato, A.
"IN VIAGGIO FRA LE STELLE" (Voyage in the Stars) will be an educational application based on
multimedia and interactive tools developed under Microsoft Windows, which will be made into a
Cd-Rom for general distribution. Its guiding theme will be the making of GSC II (the Second
Guide Star Catalogue), the largest collection of celestial objects in existence, whose realization
is the product of a ten-year collaboration between the Astronomical Observatory of Turin and
the Space Telescope Science Institute of Baltimore, and the support of several international
astronomical institutions.

The idea is to take a project such as the construction of an astrometric catalogue, a highly
technical and specialized subject that would seem ill-suited for popularisation at first sight, and
make it accessible to an audience with little if any expertise in the field. This objective will be
pursued by combining the flexibility of multimedia applications with an original approach to the
subject, i.e. by favouring a narrative rather than a didascalic style in order to make it appealing
and easy to follow. In addition, the general structure of the CD-Rom will be used as framework
for a didactic tour of the different branches of the Astronomy, from Solar System to Cosmology.


Bringing Forth the Spirit of Astronomy by Using Conceptual
Maps
        M. Birlan & G. Vass
When communicating astronomical knowledge to the public we are sometimes unsatisfied of
the quality of our application, making evident that a real efficiency of sharing astronomical
concepts and action to the public, needs to be sustained with concepts and actions by the
"outside", such as concepts from mathematics, physics, philosophy, etc.

On the another hand, different categories involved (researchers, professors, students, graduate
students, media, etc,...) do not have the same purposes in manipulating astronomical
information, the researchers are more interested in details and strictness, the professors in the
pedagogical aspects, the media searches for the simplest way to explain complex/inter-
dependent phenomena. Thus, searching a cohesion factor between several domains and
tendencies in communicating astronomical knowledge became obvious and necessary; this
factor has to reflect directly that what we can finally call "the spirit of Astronomy". The easiest
way of searching for this factor is the analysis of relations between facts and concepts of
several domains involved, by using the method of Conceptual Maps, already presented by the
authors. The use of Conceptual Maps shows more than the simple anchorage of Astronomy
among the exact sciences; it makes evident the eminently creative statute of Astronomy, which
is, from the methodological point of view, the origin of modern sciences. This is a fundamental
epistemological statute which requires, especially from the astronomers, a more appropriate
investigation and afterwards to become the basis of their efforts to communicating astronomy,
efficiently, to "the others".
Catch the Stars in the Net!? Eight Years of Experiences in
Communicating Astronomy via New Technologies
        C. Boccato, L. Benacchio, L. Nobili, S. Pastore
The authors describe their work and experiences gathered in the field of POE and Information,
in Astronomy in the last 8 years, mainly but not only, through the Web.

Catch the stars in the Net! is a long term Project made up of many initiatives for nearly all
types of possible users: young, students, amateurs, general public or simply "curious" people.
All the initiatives are developed within a focus group on the field framework and then, after this
experimental phase, are published and managed on the Web, in the main Web site.

On the Web server of the Project there are more than 33 astronomical self-consistent Web sites
in Italian language; all of them are reachable from one "Web door" with the name "Prendi le
Stelle nella Rete!" at the url: www.lestelle.net. We call it "Web door" because it doesn't want to
be a simple Home Page neither a Web Portal but it has the function of presenting all the Web
sites in a well structured way to facilitate their use by the different kind of users and for
different purposes. Half of these 33 Web sites are in English and they are all reachable from the
url www.astro2000.org .

The Project was born and has developed in parallel with the New Technologies: from the first
Web site, in 1997, to the weekly News Bulletin in Streaming Audio/Video, in 2000, to the last
project with Wireless technology for an astrophysical e-learning programme, supported by the
Industry, experienced this year at the primary and middle schools.

The main focus will be on the lessons learnt in this long adventure and on the future
developments.


The Venus Transit 2004 Programme
        H. Boffin
ESO's public outreach activities comprise communication and media activities, educational
projects and targeted events, addressing well-defined audiences. However, in 2004, one major
activity stands out both in terms of visibility and in covering all of the above areas: the Venus
Transit 2004 Public Science Discovery Programme. The objective was to use the 2004 Transit
as a vehicle for disseminating knowledge about the Solar System, for raising the awareness of
method of transit-based observations of exoplanets, to enable the public to re-enact a historical
scientific exercise, to raise public appreciation of the scientific method and to collectively obtain
a scientific result based on geographically distributed observations. The very successful
programme comprised the development of an extensive set of teaching materials for schools, a
web-based information and reporting system, observational activities on the day of the transit
(8 June) as well as a video contest and a final event in Paris in November.
Astronomical Pills: One-shot Questions about the Universe
        F. Cavallotti, S. Romaniello, S. Sandrelli
In the last two years, the Public Outreach & Education office (POE) of the INAF-Osservatorio
Astronomico di Brera (Milano, Italy) carried on an extensive survey (800 tests) of the
instinctive ideas that intermediate and high school students (14-18) use when facing
astronomical concepts.

The students were asked to face nine closed-answer questions plus an open answer one,
making their choice in a handful of seconds.

Our goal was to make a first step into the exploration of the naive view of the universe
developed by pupils in the different range of ages. In particular we explored the evolution (if it
exists) of some misconceptions depending on age. Are misconceptions static ideas or they are
removed by school?

In the present talk we present a critical review of the work, making the points of "lessons
learned", "what works and what doesn't" and "what can be learnt" from our personal
experiences.


The ESA Hubble 15th Anniversary Campaign
        Lars Lindberg Christensen & Martin Kornmesser
24 April 2005 was the 15th anniversary of the launch of the NASA/ESA Hubble Space
Telescope. As Hubble is one of the most successful scientific projects in the World, ESA decided
to celebrate this anniversary, among other things, with the production of a Hubble 15th
Anniversary movie and a book, both called "Hubble, 15 years of discovery". The movie covers
all aspects of the Hubble Space Telescope project ­ a journey through the history, the trouble
and the scientific successes of Hubble. With more than 518,000 multi-lingual DVDs distributed
to the public, media, educators, decision-makers and scientists, the Hubble 15th anniversary
campaign has been one of the largest such projects on European soil.

The small exhibition will show some of the facts behind the campaign and show part of the 83-
minute movie that was produced.


Virtual Repository Progress
        Lars Lindberg Christensen
When talking to other `communicating astronomy' colleagues one issue always comes up: how
can we better share our resources? And ultimately, how do we allow the public better access to
images, videos and other materials? One could even imagine a kind of Astro-Google. In 2004 a
Programme Group called Virtual Repository under the IAU Working Group Communicating
Astronomy was setup with the goal: "To construct the framework for a virtual repository to
allow outreach resources to be `catalogued' in a virtual repository and accessed by
communicators, educators, press, students and public through specialized visual tools
combined with search engines."

Here we report on the progress to lay a foundation for discussions during the rest of the CAP
meeting. Note that another talk on Friday aims at presenting collected inputs on these topics.
Moving the Pretty Pictures into the 21st Century
        Lars Lindberg Christensen
One of the first steps towards an Astro-Google or even a Virtual Repository is proper meta-
tagging of outreach products such as images and videos. Meta-tags will allow information such
as ID, object name, image coordinates and more to `travel' with the products and thereby
facilitate proper searching of the products. The ESA/ESO/NASA Photoshop FITS Liberator v.2
will have support for meta-tags, but a global consensus on these meta-tags must be reached.
We report on the latest progress in this area.


Using Astronomy and Space Education for National Skills
Agendas
        R.E.S. Clegg
I will describe Research Council programmes in the United Kingdom linking astronomy and
space to young people, though both the formal (schools, curriculum) and informal (science
centres, youth groups) education sectors. The overall aim is to use the excitement of these
science areas to engage this audience, so that more take up science, maths or technology
subjects beyond age 16. This is to address UK national skills agenda and the need for trained
people.

PPARC needs to work with key UK education and communications partners in this programme,
and to encourage astronomers and space scientists/engineers to participate. Our investments
include the Faulkes Telescopes Project, `Classroom Space', and the UK CREST Awards for young
people. Challenges in evaluating the real impact on the target audiences ­ teachers and young
people ­ are described. The need for international exchange of experience and best practice in
such enrichment programmes is highlighted.


Washington Charter Progress
        D. Crabtree
The Washington Charter was an outcome from the Communicating Astronomy to the Public
conference held in Washington, DC in October 2003. The Charter outlines "Principles of Action"
for individuals and organizations that conduct astronomical research, who "have a compelling
obligation to communicate their results and efforts with the public for the benefit of all". Thus
far, the Charter has been endorsed by eight professional societies. More work is required to
raise the profile of the Charter and to have it endorsed by more professional societies, research
councils, and research institutes.
The IAC and the Scientific Outreach
        Luis Cuesta on behalf of The Director's Support Team of the
        IAC
The Instituto de Astrofísica de Canarias (IAC) is a Spanish research centre, formed by the
Instituto de Astrofísica (the main headquarters), in La Laguna (Tenerife); the Teide
Observatory, in Izaña (Tenerife); and the Roque de los Muchachos Observatory, in Garafía (La
Palma). Maintaining a level of excellence, not only for the facilities of the observatories under
its administration, which constitute the European Northern Observatory, but also for its
research, its technological projects (a large telescope with a diameter of 10,4 m) and its
involvement in university, the IAC has not neglected its cultural outreach. On the contrary, as
one of its goals, the IAC is constantly making an effort in the popularization of science.

The Director's Support Team carries out the cultural outreach of the IAC that includes visits to
the Observatories, exhibits, outreach courses and conferences, educational projects, attention
to the media, publications and many other activities related with astronomical events.


Astronomia.pl ­ Polish Astronomy Portal
        K. Czart
Astronomia.pl is non-profit internet portal. Its mission is education and popularisation of
astronomy. The website was created in November 2001 and quickly become one of the most
popular astronomical internet services in Poland. Nowadays it offers over 20 sections. These
sections are standard portal features like news, discussion forum, galleries of images, as well
as unique ideas, like virtual library of astronomical master thesis. The portal owns several
internet domains: astronomia.pl ­ the main portal, kopernik.pl ­ biographies of astronomers,
astrowww.pl ­ collection of astronomical websites created by astronomy amateurs,
planetarium.pl ­ website about planetaria in Poland. Recently the portal obtained patronage
from Polish Association of Astronomy Amateurs. Astronomia.pl supports many astronomical
events in Poland. The address of the website is www.astronomia.pl.


Human Links to the Universe. A Cultural Shift
        F. Diego
Our modern view of the universe has potential implications in all aspects of human culture. In
this contribution I outline fundamental concepts and facts and propose simple ways to deal with
them at elementary levels. These include the basic structure of the universe and its origin and
evolution; the amazing link between stars and humans and the majestic scales in time and
space that make us feel humble and insignificant and at the same time, proud of the emotions
and intelligence that drive us to explore and discover.


Needs of a Science Editor
        O. Dreissigacker & Astronomie Heute Editorial Staff
The editors of ASTRONOMIE HEUTE, a journal for popular astronomy and space science, the
German edition of Sky & Telescope provide some insight into the decision making process:
Which news/research make it into an issue and what qualifies them for a feature or a cover
story.
The XMM-Newton Image Gallery
        M. Ehle
The XMM-Newton Science Operations Centre has prepared an XMM-Newton Image Gallery into
which scientists who have remarkable and high quality images and results related to XMM-
Newton are invited to submit examples.

This Image Gallery is the place to put XMM-Newton based visual results and to demonstrate the
high quality of the science XMM-Newton users are doing not only to fellow astronomers but also
to the whole of the internet community, see
http://xmm.vilspa.esa.es/external/xmm_science/gallery/public/


Webcamming Solar Telescope Images
        B.R. Espey
As part of a teaching technology programme at the University of Dublin, funding was obtained
for a H-alpha solar telescope and webcam imaging system. This equipment will be used in
classroom teaching but also for public outreach work to demonstrate the nature of the Sun's
surface and activity using either direct vision or through pre-recorded images and movies.

Initial demonstrations of the equipment has shown that it makes an impression on students,
and further development work is proceeding to develop a display which will be coordinated with
a professional solar physics stand at the British Association's Festival of Science which will take
place in Trinity College in September 2005.


Life after Press ­ The Role of the Picture Library in
Communicating Astronomy to the Public
        Gary S. Evans
Science communication is becoming increasingly led by the image, providing opportunities for
`visual' disciplines such as astronomy to receive greater public exposure. In consequence, there
is a huge demand for good and exciting images within the publishing media. The picture library
is a conduit linking image makers of all kinds to image buyers of all kinds. The image maker
benefits from the exposure of their pictures to people who want to use them, with minimal time
investment, and with the safeguards of effective rights management. The image buyer benefits
by having a wide choice of images available at a single point of contact and in a database
featuring a choice of subject-based and conceptual searching. By forming this link between
astronomer, professional or amateur, and the publishing media, the picture library helps to
make the wonder of astronomy visible to a wider public audience.
Seeing Beyond the Naked Eye in a Planetarium
        A. Fairall
I have a philosophy that the traditional naked-eye sky, shown in planetariums, should only be
an introductory step in portraying the universe. Consequently, over the years I have produced
"inter alia" various versions of an enhanced Milky Way (the latest based on Axel Mellenger's
panorama), the extragalactic sky and the radio sky for projection on planetarium domes. I also
put together a three-dimensional planetarium show ­ the audience being equipped with
ChromoDepth spectacles ­ which stepped from the solar system to the Cosmic Microwave
Background. The advent of digital technology now makes all this much easier. Currently,
Labyrinth, a visualisation program developed in house serves much the same function as
Hayden Planetarium's Partiview, but also permits rendering and fly-throughs of large-scale
structures. It allows viewers to explore local cosmography. Labyrinth can produce images that
operate with the 3D spectacles; we have also produced a version of Partiview that does the
same.


Kitt Peak ­ 40 Years of Public Outreach
        R. Fedele
For over 40 years the Visitor Center at Kitt Peak National Observatory has been providing
quality astronomy programming to the general public. Visitors from all over the world explore
Kitt Peak with an annual attendance of 65,000.

Located 90 km from Tucson, Arizona, guests can take advantage of a variety of programming
from Nightly Stargazing, to Advance CCD Imaging. Kitt Peak receives most of its visitors during
the day where the public can take advantage of tours to the three different telescopes with
trained docents. Exhibits and live science demonstrations can be found in the visitor center
along with recent Astronomical discoveries/events through STSI Space Watch Production.

A number of special workshops, classes, school programs, special nights, live broadcasts, all
take place at the observatory through the visitor center, which makes the Kitt Peak experience
one which visitors will never forget.
Using the Night Sky to Cultivate Public Interest in
Astronomy
        R.T. Fienberg & J. Kelly Beatty
To many people, the word "astronomy" means "science, math, difficult". They do not
understand science or how it works, and some even fear it. Yet whenever there is a bright
comet, a rich meteor shower, or a lunar eclipse, members of the public come out in droves to
see it. And when they do, they want to understand what they are seeing. Widespread interest
in the night sky therefore offers many "teachable moments" during which amateur and
professional astronomers can share the wonders and methods of science with the public.

There is actually no need to wait for an eclipse or other significant astronomical event. The
Moon, bright stars, and one or more planets are visible almost every clear night, even from
light-polluted cities. The key is to get people outside to look at them.

As one step toward this goal, the publisher of Sky & Telescope ­ the world's leading monthly
magazine for serious astronomy enthusiasts ­ has created a new bimonthly magazine, Night
Sky, especially for beginners and casual stargazers. We will relate some findings from our
market research done before and after the launch, explain our editorial formula, and describe
some of the things we are doing to maximize the magazine's impact.

An estimated 2 million small telescopes are sold worldwide each year, but many of them go
unused. We want to see more of them outside collecting starlight rather than inside collecting
dust.


Virtual Tours of the Universe
        C. Fluke
Primarily an astrophysics research group, the Swinburne Centre for Astrophysics &
Supercomputing has placed a strong focus on providing quality public education in astronomy.
Two of our biggest success stories have been the interactive AstroTour that uses stereoscopic
(3D) projection to immerse the public in the Universe, and Swinburne Astronomy Online (SAO)
­ a nested online degree program aimed at a graduate level that is available to students from
all over the world. I will discuss our experiences with both of these programs, and how we have
approached our goal of "inspiring a fascination in the Universe".


Difficult Concepts
        R.A.E. Fosbury
How to introduce really difficult concepts: spectra, polarization,interference etc? or is it a losing
cause?

1. How do we extract the most information from the stream of photons sent to us by objects
throughout the universe?

2. How do we explain to people what we just did in a way they will understand.

Is this a lost cause? Can `pseudo-explanations' be useful? To which degree can analogies be
stretched?
Virtual Observatory Compliance for Press Release Images
         L. Frattare, Z. Levay, & F. Summers
The beauty and splendor of astronomical images has made an enormously positive impact with
the media and public alike. As a leading provider of astronomical imagery, the outreach division
of STScI recognizes the importance of making press release images compliant with virtual
observatory standards for inclusion in databases and repositories. A small working group has
been formed to define and evaluate the procedures for making outreach images accessible by
VO applications, and more specifically, to establish a World Coordinate System for these
images, which have none. We report on the status of various software techniques that can be
used to easily and accurately transform coordinates on images, using reference images and
astronomical star catalogs when available. Funding for this work comes from the Virtual
Cosmos Project (Berkeley/STScI).


Hands-on Images 2
         L. Frattare & R. Hurt
Following on where Hand-on Images 1 left off, this Hands-on Seminar is meant to give you and
inside to the slightly more advanced `tips & tricks' of the art of making colour images from raw
data. We expect participant to have a basic knowledge of the topics covered in Hands-on
Images 1. We will guide you through the following topics using PCs and Adobe Photoshop:

·   Basic cosmetics
·   Advanced cleaning/cosmetics
·   Sky background adjustment
·   Noise
·   Artifact removal (including seams, gaps, CCD bleeds)
·   Layer compositions
·   Cropping and orientation
·   Composition and layouts
·   More about stretch functions
·   Metadata

Advance preparations

· Browse Rector et al: http://arxiv.org/abs/astro-ph/0412138


Hubble and the Language of Images
         K. Noll & the Hubble Heritage Team
Images released from the Hubble Space Telescope, for at least a decade, have been very highly
regarded by the astronomy-attentive public. Due in large part to these images, the Hubble has
become an iconic figure, even among the general public.

This iconic status is both a boon and a burden for those who produce the stream of images
flowing from this telescope. While the benefits of attention are obvious, the negative aspects
are less visible.

One of the most persistent challenges is the need to continue to deliver images that "top" those
released before. In part this can be accomplished because of Hubble's upgraded
instrumentation. But it can also be a source of pressure that could, if left unchecked, erode
ethical boundaries in our communication with the public. These pressures are magnified in an
atmosphere of uncertainty with regard to the future of the mission.
New Perspectives in Planetarium Lectures: How to Tell
Science under the Dome Preserving the "Enchantment"
        G. Gandolfi, G. Catanzaro, S. Giovanardi, V. Vomero
We discuss the philosophy and strategy of a modern planetarium lecture, within the larger
frame of the communication of astronomy. The planetarium is a peculiar medium that requires
a creative and rigorous approach in order to balance the three propulsive forces behind the
`planetarium experience': scientific knowledge (method and contents), technological `sense of
wonder' and pre-rational (not necessarily anti-rational) `enchantment'. While scientific and
technological resources are largely exploited in state-of-the-art domes, the latter concept ­
introduced by Max Weber in order to categorize the mystic/esthetic impact of nature on the
human mind ­ has not been sufficiently explored. However, it implies an effort to delve into the
public perception of astronomy, remarking the crucial role of professional communication skills
for an effective communication of science. Rather than a forced alphabetization on science
and/or a crusade against astrology, we believe that the planetarium experience should be a
stimulating reawakening of curiosity and ecological awareness of the sky ­ hence of the
universe. The research of a fine tuning of the above three components makes the classical
conflict between the boring academic lecture under the stars versus the disneyish,
hypertechnological shows obsolete. We present some solutions for "fine-tuned lectures", with
examples from our experience at the Rome Planetarium.


"StarTeachers": a Teachers Exchange Program between
Hawaii and La Serena
        M.A. Garcia & J. Harvey
StarTeachers is an intercultural exchange program for teachers in Hawaii (USA) and La Serena
(Chile) that Gemini Observatory has funded and organized since year 2002. By sharing
Gemini's resources and technology with our teachers and students, this program demonstrates
how we can all work together as a community to improve our educational system and provide
unique educational opportunities that would otherwise not be available. The StarTeachers
Exchange is a unique educational program designed to utilize Gemini's state-of-the-art internet
videoconferencing capabilities as an educational "laboratory". Combined with a two-week
visit/exchange, the program provides an innovative venue for the teaching of science and
cross-cultural exchanges between the teachers and students of Hawaii and Chile.


ApritiCielo, Museum of Space and Astronomy with
Planetarium in Torino
        M. Giovalli, G. Bernardi, A. Ferrari, P. Rossi
ApritiCielo has been conceived as an educational and didactic centre of astronomy and space
physics based on the most modern techniques to explain to the public our advanced theories
and knowledge of the Universe. From this prospect the location of the Planetarium next to the
building of the Astronomic Observatory of Torino is intended to promote a connection in
between the space researchers and the public. The beginning is a virtual walk of discovery of
the Universe, from the solar system, to galaxies, to the distribution of the matter on the
cosmological scales. There will be succession of interactive exhibits where it will be possible to
follow ideas to any level that the visitor wishes. The Planetarium's virtual Universe is supplied
by a projection system of advanced technology (the Evans & Sutherland DIGISTAR 3) with
spectacular views of the night sky at different seasons and different latitudes, the planets of the
solar system and exciting intergalactic trips to discover the vastness of the Universe.
Stars on Stage: the New Planetarium of Rome as an
Astronomical Theatre
        S. Giovanardi, G. Gandolfi, G. Catanzaro, V. Vomero
We introduce the new Planetarium and Astronomical Museum of Rome, opened in May 2004, as
an outstanding research facility on live communication of science. It fills a void left in town 20
years ago when the old planetarium was closed, now granting a renovated access to the sky for
the general public and the schools of Rome. The planetarium can be used as a remarkably
flexible tool for the communication of astronomy, to help the visitors bridge the gap towards
the sky ­ that is in fact widening, due to the fast progress of astrophysics as a big science vs
the lack of references in the public perception of the universe beyond the solar system. We
discuss our approach to communicating astronomy and, in particular, the choice of languages
and metaphors to rethink the planetarium as a democratic space. The metaphor we suggest is
to look at the planetarium as an "astronomical theatre". Like a theatre, the mission of the
planetarium is to share a cultural identity with a community; a sharing that is effective only if
guided by the ability to address a variety of audiences, giving proper attention to their
languages and their emotional links to the sky. Thus, the Planetarium of Rome is conceived as
a communication lab where it is possible to experiment with the contamination of languages
and the definition of new communication formats, like our live "astronomical shows". A cultural
playground for imagination and knowledge, free to float surrounded by the experience of space,
and cooperate in building new views of the world and personal cosmologies. An environment
where it is possible to weave a network of connections and references that is crucial to make
astronomical information meaningful for popular culture. In other words, it allows the
transposition of scientific information into culture. However, in the absence of institutional
subjects entitled to produce a critical reading of modern science ­ a peculiarity with respect to
the arts, literature and the human sciences ­ it is possible to take this metaphor to a further,
deeper consequence: the planetarium as a critical observatory on science, to explore to what
extent the sky described by modern astrophysical research still mirrors the cultural identity of
our society. The planetarium may then become the ideal theatre for "science criticism",
independent from any propaganda and in close contact with the public. The programs
developed within this conceptual framework at the Planetarium of Rome include over 50
events, shaped around the symbiotic connection between the planetarium and the nearby
Astronomical Museum. Here we present some representative examples from the first year of
activity.


Journey Through the Universe in Hawaii
        J. Harvey & P. Michaud
Hilo, Hawaii was chosen as one of thirteen national sites for the journey through the Universe
program. This national initiative sponsored by the Challenger Center for Space science has
teamed with the Gemini Observatory, Keck, other observatiories on Mauna Kea, the
Department of Education, and the University of Hawaii at Hilo.

This is the first major initiative where the observatories on Mauna Kea are working with the
Department of Education at a local community level. Over 5,000 students in 17 area schools
were visited by the National Team from the Challenger Center with the astronomers from
observatories on Mauna Kea working by their sides in the classrooms.

The community integrated resources from their existing science, mathematics and technology
education programs to meet with the National and Hawaii Education Standards. This resulted in
heightened awareness of science in the classrooms, improved teaching in the astronomy
content field, professional development for teachers, networking and articulation amongst
educators, scientists and the community. The parents and the community were also engaged
and educated in the space science enterprise during the first week of an on-going five year
program commitment.
Attracting the Media
        N. Henbest
The media provide the essential conduit for the mass communication of science. Yet the drivers
for a successful media "story" are not necessarily the same as the factors regarded as most
important by the astronomy researcher.

Taking television as the prime example of a medium of mass communication, I examine some
of the elements that are involved in the creation of a successful and influential astronomy
programme.

The first challenge to the programme-maker is to persuade the broadcasters to screen an
astronomy documentary, rather than ­ say ­ the latest soap or reality show.

With an interesting and topical astronomical result in hand, the next challenge is to create a
show that's as absorbing as it is informative. The key element is a script that both enthrals and
guides the viewer: simplicity must sometimes win out over comprehensiveness.

Locations and interviewees must be carefully researched. Sadly, the astronomers who would be
selected by their peers are sometimes not the best interviewees when it comes to engaging the
viewers.

Last ­ and of course not least ­ are the visuals. While astronomy has powerful images from
Hubble and other telescopes, the most exciting topics in the Cosmos are often impossible to
film in the detail viewers expect ­ examples include extrasolar planets, black holes, alien life
and the Big Bang. Here TV graphics are increasingly the key. But to what extent can these
depictions be justified scientifically?


Nationwide Astronomy Events in Austria: Summary and
Experiences
        J. Hron, F. Kerschbaum, A. Pikhard
Over the last few years participation in several nationwide astronomy events have been
organised jointly by professional and amateur astronomy institutions: from the participation in
science festivals to astronomy days to the Venus transit. We will summarize these activities and
discuss the experiences with respect to astronomical content, media work, organisational
structure and differences to other science fields.


Seeing Infrared
        R. Hurt
While the public has become familiar with a variety of ways of seeing the universe through the
artificial eyes of telescopes on Earth and in space, NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope presents
new challenges for scientific visualization. In an embarrasment of riches, Spitzer images the
sky in 7 different bands, spanning over a factor of 50 in wavelength (and thusly in resolution).
A variety of techniques, and sometimes tricks, have been developed to display this imagery
alone and with other wavelength regimes. Likewise, even artist's visualizations often require an
extra twist, contrasting an object's visible light appearance with what the infrared reveals. The
presentation will cover various examples of different problems and solutions, and will hopefully
encourage discussion of successes, failures, and even new suggestions.
Public Tours of the Subaru Telescope
        C. Ishida & K. Sekiguchi
In October 2004, Subaru Telescope began offering guided tours within its telescope enclosure
to the general public. We present the background, current status, and visitor statistics of the
program and discuss the organizational challenges and the cultural impact of inviting the public
into operational areas of a scientific research facility.


Space Education - A Lifeline to the Skills Shortage?
        I. Jones
There is a crisis in education relating to science, technology, engineering and maths. In the UK,
universities are closing physics and chemistry departments in favour of subjects such a media
studies.

Astronomy and space science may hold the key to engaging and captivating new audiences
who may go on to be the scientists and engineers of the future.

Orbit Research Ltd is carrying out practical research and development, to work co-operatively
with teachers and pupils in schools, colleges and universities, and industrial partners such as
ESA, the National Science Learning Centre and the UK Space Industry Best Practice Club to re-
kindle the excitement and sense of excitement that space science can bring.

The research includes the development of a `space education centre' where the aim is to link
elements of current national curriculum science to contemporary space research and space
missions.


Produce your First DVD
        M. Kornmesser, L. Christensen
The DVD is currently the favoured medium for physical transport of broadcast quality video
movies and is therefore optimal for astronomical footage longer than a few minutes. In this
Hands-on Seminar, we will give you a heads-up on the DVD medium describing its advantages
and disadvantages. Working with PCs and software from the Adobe Video Collection you will be
guided through the production of a full structure for a DVD.


New Horizons for Communicating Astronomy through
Digital Planetariums
        T.W. Kraupe
Beginning with the first alldome digital real-time simulation planetarium dome at the American
Museum of Natural History in New York, this presentation will explore benefits and challenges
of this new medium allowing scientists and educators to immerse audiences with the true 3d-
structure of the cosmos.

As a consultant for this New York project and driving force in the field of planetariums, former
IPS president Th. Kraupe became creator of the first largeformat fulldome-realtime digital
theater in Europe ­ the newly opened Hamburg Planetarium. He will report about the ongoing
revolution in our way to present and communicate astronomy to audiences of all ages.
Hands-on Images 1
         Z. Levay & L. Christensen
The importance of images in public communication of astronomy can not be overstated. But
how are the `pretty pictures' produced? The recent advances in software and technology has
made it even easier to make nice colour composites from the raw data. This Hands-on Seminar
will guide you through the following topics using PCs and Adobe Photoshop:

·   Image aquisition (archives)
·   Basic image processing
·   Import into Photoshop (FITS liberator)
·   Basic functionality
·   Use of Stretch functions
·   Layering
·   Colouring
·   Adjusting
·   Cropping

Advance preparations

1.     If you have never used Photoshop, and have access to a copy: Open the programme,
poke around, look at the tools and menus.
2.     Please read:
http://www.spacetelescope.org/projects/fits_liberator/stepbystep.html


Mission to the Public: A Journalist's Experiences with
European Astronomers and Space Agencies
         D. Lorenzen
January 2004 ­ NASA lands two rovers on Mars. The landings are covered worldwide live by
CNN with millions of people joining it. January 2005 ­ ESA lands a probe on Titan. The landing
is covered live in the ESOC control room with a few scientists and VIPs on site. The first
pictures of the unknown world are presented to the public hours later.

July 2004 ­ NASA has the Cassini spacecraft in orbit around Saturn. Each day a new picture is
released by the Cassini team. January 2004 ­ ESA has a wonderful spacecraft in orbit around
Mars. 16 months later, some 35 Mars Express images are online.

That are just two examples of a communicator's nightmare. What's going wrong in Europe?
Why are many scientists so reluctant to communicate their research to the public? Why isn't
public relations work an integral part of any project financed by the European taxpayer? Is a
scientific observation or a scientific paper really more important than a nice picture making the
front page of many newspapers?

Europe is doing great scientifically and technologically ­ but for some reason, this is not
communicated. Can we change the attitude of scientists and agencies towards public
communication?
Popularisation of Astronomy: why?
          V. Luridiana
An increase in the level of public understanding of science (PUS) is often advocated for a
variety of reasons. The majority of these tend to be practical: a better PUS can increase the
quality of decision-making both in the personal and in the public sphere; help to understand
the notions of risk, hazard and uncertainty; improve the understanding of health issues.
Astronomy is a very special discipline in that it has virtually no impact on the daily life of
people. Its discoveries are unlikely to have more than a very distant echo in the lifes of
common people, and even the link between investment in basic astronomical research and
technological return is controversial. In this sense, astronomy can be seen more like an art
than like a science. In this poster I will expose the preliminary results of an investigation into
the reasons that might justify doing efforts to popularise astronomy.


Science Communication ­ between Michael Faraday and
MTV
          C. Madsen
No abstract submitted.


The Role of the Popular Article in Astronomical Outreach
          T. Mahoney
I examine the history and typology of the popular article and emphasize the difference between
news and feature articles. My conclusion is that feature articles tend to be written and
published almost exclusively for astronomy buffs, and that it is mainly news articles that can
truly claim to be popular, in the sense of successfully reaching a non-astronomical audience.
The feature article is an excellent vehicle for reaching out to the non-astronomical public but
needs to be angled in a way that is relevant to the interests of a wider readership. Writers of
astronomy-based feature articles for the general public need to address the relationship of
astronomy to history, literature, art, music and philosophy.


A Communications Toolkit for Astronomers
          T. Mahoney
This miniworkshop follows on from Writing to be Read: How to Improve Your Writing and takes
a look at a number of issues that determine how and what you write:

  *   Knowing your audience: writing for different genres
  *   Background research for news and feature articles
  *   Necessary reference works and the ways of accessing them
  *   Dealing with editors
  *   How your text is edited
  *   Handling proofs
  *   What editors do
  *   Being an editor
  *   The writer's rights

We also suggest ways of getting you message across to the media when it is your work or
organization that is being reported.
The Visitor Centre "Marcello Ceccarelli"
        F. Mantovani, on behalf of many collaborators
In this poster we will present the Visitor Centre "Marcello Ceccarelli", recently open at the
Medicina Radio Observatory of the INAF-Institute of Radio Astronomy, Bologna. The VC has
been named "Marcello Ceccarelli" in honour of the Professor of the Physics Department,
University of Bologna, father of the "Northern Cross" Radio Telescope and of radio astronomy in
Italy in the mid 60s. The VC is located in a hundred years old store recently renewed, used by
farmers to store rice. The building also hosts a bed&breakfast and a country-side restaurant.
With its more than 400 square metres of available surface, the VC "Marcello Ceccarelli" is at
present one of the largest such facilities in Europe. The surface is almost equally divided in a
exhibition room and a multi-media conference room. The exhibition, the collection of old
instrumentation and the multimedia facilities will be briefly described.


The ESO-MIM Star Trek: a Broad Public Oriented Short
Interactive Exhibition for an Introduction to Contemporary
Astrophysics
        O. Marco
In the course of ESO EPR actions in Chile, we have realized a permanent exhibition of
astronomy for a broad public in the Museo Interactivo Mirador (Interactive Museum of science,
Chile), a collaboration between ESO and MIM. This Museum is mostly directed toward scholars
(7-14 years old), with adults visits on week-ends, is funded by public money and is unique in
Chile. We decided to present the most recent questions relative to astronomy, based on
pictures taken mostly at ESO observatories, and to skip the basics of astronomy which are to
be teach at school. However, we also designed a video introduction on the history of
astronomy, with a time line showing the evolution in discoveries and principles. We tried to be
innovative to keep it interactive without modern technologies: the main part of the exhibition is
based on a walk among the stars, in a dark room, with a special helmet equipment to look at
the pictures placed on the roof.


Sighting the New Crescent Moon ­ Linking Modern
Astronomy and Islam
        R. Massey
The Royal Observatory Greenwich (ROG) has acted as a resource centre for mosques in the UK,
providing data on the visibility of the crescent that is essential for the Islamic calendar. A series
of projects have sought to widen the connection between the ROG and the British Islamic
community, engaging a `hard to reach' audience with cutting edge astrophysics.
The Gemini Observatory Virtual Tour
        P. Michaud
For the past 4 years, the production of the Gemini Virtual tour has evolved from a modest
interactive CD-ROM tour of the Gemini Observatory into a multi-facited, multi-media education
and outreach product. The current version (3.0) includes internet accessible science updates, a
custom screen saver-generator, an observing module using real Gemini data and several
educational games and activities.

Recently the entire text elements of the tour have been translated into Spanish (formerly only
English was available) with plans to translate into additional languages over the next 2 years.

This poster will describe the technologies used to create the tour, our feed back from users and
our experiences using the tour as a kiosk in public spaces.


Astronomical Outreach from Jodrell Bank Observatory
        I. Morison & T. O'Brien
The Jodrell Bank Observatory of the University of Manchester undertakes a wide variety of
outreach to children and adults both on site at its Visitor Centre, locally to schools and adult
groups and world wide through its distance learning programmes and website. Visitors to the
Observatory learn about the work it does, see the Lovell Telescope at close quarters, enjoy 3D
astronomy presentations in a dedicated theatre and can "Ask an Astronomer". A team takes a
portable planetarium out to local schools, astronomers give talks locally and nationwide to adult
groups and teach astronomy evening classes. The observatory runs a part-time distance
learning programme for adults at undergraduate level incorporating opportunities to observe
with a radio telescope controlled over the world-wide web.


Communicating What Science Is, Not What It Is Like ­
Non-professionally Executed Astronomy of Professional
Standard
        P. Murdin
Attempts to communicate astronomy fall into three categories: (a) witnessing, where an
astronomer or a representative describes to an audience of students what astronomers have
done and found out; (b) exercises, where the students simulate what astronomers do; and (c)
participation, where the non-professional scientists carry out astronomical programmes. About
150 years ago or more, amateur astronomers opened up research in astronomical areas such
as deep-sky surveys and spectroscopy through participation. Programmes like these remained
operative in for example the activities of the American Association of Variable Star Observers.
But for the last century the professionalisation of astronomy and the growth of an
entertainment industry as a model for communication to a passive audience have shifted the
balance of the communication of astronomy towards witnessing, and directed exercises (like
public viewing nights). There are now available new generations of affordable, sensitive
detectors, powerful astronomical telescopes are within the financial reach of an individual, and
professionally-equipped large telescopes are becoming available through various access
schemes. Archives from professionally executed surveys are becoming open. These
developments bring so many possible astronomical objects within range that it is becoming
easy again for the non-professional astronomer to participate in the discovery of new
information. The value of this shift is that science is communicated as a process, not as a
collection of results. Are we ready?
Credibility Panel Discussion
        P. Murdin, R.A.E. Fosbury, D. Lorenzen, C. Madsen
How far can we in the name of science communication keep pushing, or promoting, our
respective results or projects without damaging our individual, and thus also our collective
credibility? The pressure is larger than ever, and the temptation for hype huge. Are
comparisons between different projects of the sort "my scope is better than your scope"
necessary? Do we really need scientific results to be peer-reviewed in advance of their public
dissemination? Do we need internal political and scientific `editorial boards', or is it just a kind
of double-refereeing? How do we handle the really BIG discoveries (e.g. exo-Simpsons)? How
do we treat the NEO threat? Why do press releases that are later proven wrong rarely get
withdrawn? Is the time ripe to make a Code of Conduct for press releases that outlines
recommended ethics and procedures for conflict resolution, analysis and retraction?


The ESA/ESO/NASA FITS Liberator Version 2
        Lars Holm Nielsen, Kaspar K. Nielsen, Teis Johansen & Lars
        Lindberg Christensen
The ESA/ESO/NASA Photoshop FITS Liberator has, since it was released in July 2004, given a
worldwide audience of 50,000 easy access to astronomical FITS images. The Liberator has in
this way become the `industry standard' for the production of `pretty pictures'. At the small
exhibition, the team behind the Liberator will demonstrate the general principles of its use as
well as the special features available in the upcoming version 2. Version 2 is planned for
release July 1, 2005.


L'Aula del Cel: Communicating Astronomy at School Level
        A. Ortiz-Gil, M. Gomez, T. Gallego
Aula del Cel (The Sky Classroom) is an effort to bring astronomy closer to school children. It is
a project led by the Astronomical Observatory of the University of Valencia in collaboration with
the regional education authorities. It has benn running for two years and it has been a big
success, with more than two thousand students visiting the Aula during the school term.


Think Inside the Sphere
        S. Parello
Bringing the Universe down to Earth -- isn't that what it's all about? The Hayden Planetarium in
New York City offers frequent occasions to experience the night sky, interact with researchers,
and even fly to the edge of the Universe. We invite the public into our hemispherical living
room on Tuesday nights. Our well-established audience enjoys opportunities to explore our
growing sets of data, discuss the latest news and images, and reflect on the simple enjoyment
of just looking up at the stars. Through these regular offerings, we endeavor to convey our love
of the cosmos -- to reveal the inner workings of the heavens.
Astronomy for Young Audiences
        A. Pedrosa & P. Russo
The Espinho Planetarium has been a very rewarding experience in what has been our major
tool for communicating in Astronomy, inside the activities of the Centro Multimeios de Espinho.
We will present, two recent experiences, two planetarium shows, developed by the Espinho
Planetarium team, dedicated to the very young 4-10 yrs old and young 10-14 yrs old
audiences. They have different goals, not only in the target age, but also on the concept behind
the introduction of the different astronomical subjects presented. We will also discuss the
different approaches used, the scientific content and the public reactions, both from teachers
and students.


The Unique Role of the Planetarium/Science Center in
Science Communication
        C.C. Petersen
Planetariums process around 90 million visitors per year, offering astronomy and space science
very wide exposure to public audiences. Information from research institutions is a vital part of
planetarium presentations. Therefore, it is useful for scientists and public relations professionals
to understand the specialized audio-visual needs, production practices,and educational
rationales developed over the years by the planetarium profession. This presentation gives an
overview of the planetarium community, its appetite for content from the science community,
and the fascinating technological challenges that are changing the way planetariums use and
show that content.


Outreach from McDonald Observatory
        S. Preston
McDonald Observatory communicates astronomy in a variety of different ways to a vast
audience in the U.S. and internationally. Its widest reaching programs are the daily 2-minute
astronomy radio programs StarDate and Universo (Spanish-language version). A German
version, called Sternzeit, airs daily throughout Germany on DeutschlandRadio Berlin. Sternzeit
is also sold on CD to individual subscribers.

StarDate Online (stardate.org) and Universo Online (radiouniverso.org) offer rich resources to a
large audience via the Internet. The "What Are Astronomers Doing?" website
(mcdonaldobservatory.org/research) provides online visitors with an interview of the
astronomers using the telescopes at McDonald each week, information on their research
project, and background on the telescope and instrument being used.

McDonald Observatory's Visitors Center in Fort Davis, Texas welcomes 100,000 visitors a year
and conducts K-12 professional development workshops for teachers and student field
experiences. Visitors can learn how astronomers use spectroscopy to uncover the mysteries of
the Universe in a bilingual (English/Spanish) exhibit called "Decoding Starlight". A new outdoor
exhibit called "Parallax Park" is being designed. When built, this bilingual (English/Spanish),
interactive family exhibit will help visitors explore how astronomers measure the distance to
stars and how they find extrasolar planets.

Funding for this work was made possible by the National Science Foundation and NASA.
The Preparation of Presentation-Quality Astronomical
Images
        T.A. Rector, Z.G. Levay, L.M. Frattare, J. English &
        K. Pu'uohau-Pummill
The quality of modern astronomical data, the power of modern computers and the agility of
current image-processing software enable the creation of high-quality images in a purely digital
form. The combination of these technological advancements has created a new ability to
make color astronomical images. And in many ways it has led to a new philosophy towards
how to create them. A practical guide is presented on how to generate astronomical images
from research data with powerful image-processing programs. These programs use a layering
metaphor that allows for an unlimited number of astronomical datasets to be combined in any
desired color scheme, creating an immense parameter space to be explored using an iterative
approach. Several examples of image creation from Gemini Observatory and NOAO telescopes
will be presented.

A philosophy is also presented on how to use color and composition to create images that
simultaneously highlight scientific detail and are aesthetically appealing. This philosophy is
necessary because most datasets do not correspond to the wavelength range of sensitivity of
the human eye. The use of visual grammar, defined as the elements which affect the
interpretation of an image, can maximize the richness and detail in an image while maintaining
scientific accuracy. By properly using visual grammar, one can imply qualities that a two-
dimensional image intrinsically cannot show, such as depth, motion and energy. In addition,
composition can be used to engage viewers and keep them interested for a longer period of
time. The use of these techniques can result in a striking image that will effectively convey the
science within the image, to scientists and to the public.


History & Progress of The IAU Communicating Astronomy
with The Public Working Group
        I. Robson
A brief update of the progress of the IAU Working Group on Communicating Astronomy with
the Public since its formation following the Washington Meeting will be given.


The Role of Observatories
        I. Robson
In one way or another our observatories are the source of the information that is ultimately
used to convey the excitement of astronomy to the public. Large observatories have their own
Public Information Officers and often large outreach activities, handling the press releases on
behalf of visiting astronomers. Other observatories rely on the astronomers' home institution
for press releases but have visiting programmes and outreach. Older observatories can become
a historical attraction for the public, with outreach and many other activities. Innovative ideas
are being pioneered by a number of observatories, helped by generous funding. This talk will
give an overview from information received from observatories around the world of the various
scales of enterprise, activities and `reach'. In particular, it will attempt to identify what has
worked, what hasn't and what, if any, lessons can be learned.
The Universe in the Classroom - the Faulkes Telescope
Project
        P.D. Roche
The Faulkes Telescope Project (FTP) offers access to research-grade, 2-metre telescopes in
Hawaii and Australia. Users carry out their live observations from anywhere with an Internet
connection, or submit targets to the offline queue. Each telescope is equipped with a scientific-
grade CCDand a filter set consisting of u'BVRi' plus Hydrogen Alpha and Oxygen III.
Spectrographs will become available in future, opening up exciting new possibilities to all FT
users.

Apart from rapid acquisition of extremely high quality images, the FTP offers access to the
southern sky from Australia, and the opportunity to collaborate in a range of research projects.
Research projects already running involve objects as distant as Gamma-Ray Bursts and galaxy
clustersor as close as NEOs ­ in the latter case, we can track these fast-moving targets to
greater distances than almost any other regular observer, contributing vital data.

This poster highlights some of the best images and key events from the first year of FT North
operations, including schools use (9-18 year olds), amateur astronomers, undergraduate
project work and research results.


Do the Stars Tell Your Love Story?
        I. Rodríguez Hidalgo
A great alternative to transmit astronomical concepts is using a "co-lateral" story which catches
the public's attention. It allows, at the same time, to spread the critical sense, in danger of
extinction these days. The recipe is simple: nothing but an actor or actress, his/her voice and
hands, and a score about a topic of wide popular interest, with bits of magic and humor. An
example will be shown in this contribution.
The Olmicomics and The Lord of Rings: Two Cases of Non-
traditional Education
        S. Romaniello, F. Cavallotti, S. Sandrelli
In 2003-2004 the Public Outreach & Education office (POE) of INAF-Osservatorio Astronomico
di Brera (Milan, Italy), besides the traditional activities carried out two experiments of
educational games: the role-playing game "The Lord of Rings ­ the mysterious case of the
stolen rings" and the narrative laboratory "The Olmi-comics".

"The Lord of Rings ­ the mysterious case of the stolen rings" is an astronomical role-playing
game for kids, ageing from 10 to 13 years old. Its goal is to introduce pupils to some of the
main topics of our Solar System: a) the role of gravity; b) the distribution of mass; c) the
distribution of light; d) how rotation works in building complex structures; e) where the water
is (as far as we know. Since the game was hold at the second edition of the Perugia Science
Festival (3-12 September 2004), in the following description we refer to that experience. The
pupils are divided into 6 groups of 8 members. They are told that the rings of Saturn were
stolen by a Centaur while Saturn was sleeping. They are appointed astro-detectives in-charge
and asked to find the rings out browsing around the Solar System, which is scaled so to fit
Perugia's historical center. Each group starts playing the game from a different area of the city.
The astro-detectives soon discover that the rings were incidentally destroyed, so that they
must gather the physical ingredients to re-build them. They are requested to collect the right
quantities of gravity, light, rotation, inclination, dust and water represented by simple objects
like apple