"There are two possibilities: either we are alone in the Universe, or we are not. Both are equally terrible." — Arthur Charles Clarke
Can we say that life exists only on our planet, and that it is impossible on others? Is the hypothesis of the uniqueness of the Earth Civilization so natural? Of course not. This hypothesis contradicts the observed homogeneity and isotropy of the Universe, established by the discovery of relic radiation. It is unlikely that only one civilization could arise in a generally homogeneous and isotropic Universe. There are billions of stars in our galaxy, and even more galaxies...
Our astronomical community, as part of the "Look at the Stars" project, RIA56, with the support of the social project "Hometowns" ("Gazpromneft-Orenburg"), invites everyone to the countryside for our evening lecture "In Search of Extraterrestrial Civilizations"!
Event details
Organizers and support
Organizers:
- Astronomical community "Orion"
- Regional information agency RIA56
Support:
- Social investment program "Hometowns" of the Gazprom Neft company
Event information
Date and time: 09/21/2018, starts at 20:00
Terms of participation:
- Participation is paid: 200 rubles per person.
- Children - free.
- Recommended age: from 6 years.
Necessary things:
- A camping mat, foam, blanket or chair for comfortable accommodation.
- Tea, cookies, sweets, sandwiches - appetite comes quickly in the fresh air.
- Warm clothes (it's cold at night).
- Good mood!
How the astrotour goes:
- The first part of the program is a lecture on astronomy, the search for extraterrestrial civilizations and ways to detect them.
- The second part is an excursion to autumn constellations, legends and orientation in the sky.
- The third part is observations through telescopes: the Moon, planets of the solar system, double stars, star clusters, nebulae, the Andromeda galaxy, globular clusters.
Event program
- Lecture:
- Search for traces of extraterrestrial life in our Universe.
- Search methods and incredible projects of ambitious scientists.
- Overview of telescopes:
- The structure of telescopes, their differences, which telescope is better and what can be seen through them.
- Astronomy quiz:
- Quiz on knowledge of films about aliens and extraterrestrials. Prizes - a detailed map of the Moon.
- Constellation tour:
- Autumn constellations of the northern sky, legends and orientation.
- Observations with telescopes:
- The Moon, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, double stars, star clusters, nebulae, the Andromeda galaxy, globular clusters.
- Astrophotography using cameras connected to telescopes.
Prohibited actions
- Leaving litter.
- Smoking.
- Drinking alcoholic beverages.
- Being intoxicated.
- Disrespectful attitude towards other participants of the event.
Astrovised Results
Hooray, we did it — we finished the summer astronomy season of 2018!
Over 1,500 astronomy enthusiasts listened to lectures about the starry sky and looked through our telescopes this season! On September 21, about 60-70 astronomy enthusiasts gathered at the astronomy site. A clear and still warm night contributed to excellent observations of the night sky.
Lecture Topic:
Search for Extraterrestrial Civilizations:
- Where life may appear besides Earth.
- What conditions are necessary for this.
- How earthlings try to contact their supposed friends in intelligence.
Quiz:
- Participants answered questions about films about aliens and extraterrestrials.
- Prizes — a detailed map of the Moon.
Observations:
- Telescopes: Three telescopes showed the surface of the Moon in detail. The image was also displayed on a large screen.
- Planets: We managed to observe the setting Jupiter, Saturn and Mars.
Lecture by Ekaterina Guskova:
-
About the constellations of the northern sky.
-
Learning how to navigate by the stars.
Acknowledgments:
- Thanks to RIA56 and the Rodnye Gorody (Native Cities) program (Gazpromneft-Orenburg) for the equipment that made the lectures more visual and interesting.
- Special thanks to all participants for their active participation and interest in science.
"We thank all the participants of this summer season - it was really great! We are very pleased that you are interested in science, and you find time at night to come out of town with us."
- Sergey Medvedev, RIA56 photographer, project organizer.