Astronomy Festival on the National Mall (AFNM) | Hofstra University

Astronomy Festival on the National Mall (AFNM) Largest US astronomy outreach event https://youtu.be/7Zb5KG9c8ZE https://shorturl.at/tuV49

Organized by Dr. Donald Lubowich Coordinator of Astronomy Outreach, Hofstra University

Started in 2010 with co-sponsorship by the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy Dr. Ezinne Uzo-Okoro, Assistant Director for Space Policy, White House Office of Science and Technology Policy, participated and opened the 2023 event.

TV interviews about the 2023 AFNM: https://wjla.com/features/7news-mornings/the-astronomy-festivalon-the-national-mall# https://youtu.be/7Zb5KG9c8ZE https://www.wusa9.com/video/tech/science/celebrating-all-thingsspace-science-at-the-astronomy-festival-on-the-national-mall/6513862ec7-55e3-4768-aad7-0ef4429d4055

The AFNM is the largest annual astronomy outreach event in the US. Reached 35,000 people since 2010.

• 35 science and education organizations,100 educators, 15 telescopes, and 60 tables with activities and demonstrations. Meet astronomers, scientists, and educators who volunteer their time.

• Astronomy clubs bring 35 optical and radio telescopes.

• The AFNM is presented in association/partnership with the Smithsonian Solstice Saturday events.

• In 2023 Focus Features presented Wes Anderson’s new film Asteroid City at the AFNM. The film is about a Junior Stargazer/Space Cadet convention featuring Jason Schwartzman, Scarlett Johansson, and Tom Hanks.

Participating Organizations

American Astronomical Society American Association for the Advancement of Science American Association of Physics Teacher, American Geophysical Union American Physical Society Associated Universities, Inc. Astronomical Society of the Pacific Astronomy Magazine Ball Aerospace & Technology Carnegie Science DayStar Filters LLC Chandra X-ray Telescope (NASA) e-Planetarium, Focus Features' ASTEROID CITY International Dark-Sky Association Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory Maryland STEM Festival, NASA - Goddard Space Flight Center NASA Solar System Ambassadors National Air and Space Museum

Participating Organizations National Center for Earth and Space Science Education National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration National Science Foundation’s NOIRLab (Optical Astronomy Observatory) National Radio Astronomy Observatory National Science Foundation National Society of Black Engineers, Jr. (Pre-College; K – 12) Sir Isaac Newton and Tycho Brahe (The Natural Philosopher, LLC) Neshamah Dance Company The Planetary Society Sky and Telescope Magazine Society of Physics Students Society for Science (publishes Science News) Space Telescope Science Institute (Hubble/James Webb Space Telescopes) Port Discovery Children's Museum Project Caelus Unistellar U.S. Naval Observatory U.S. Naval Research Laboratory

Participating Colleges, Universities, and Astronomy Clubs American University Catholic University of America George Mason University George Washington University Georgetown University Howard University Johns Hopkins University Montgomery College Penn State University Rice University University of Maryland University of Virginia Goddard Astronomy Club National Capital Astronomers Northern Virginia Astronomy Club The Society of Amateur Radio Astronomers, Thomas Jefferson HS for Science and Technology, Astronomy Club

Activities and Demonstrations • Make a comet • Preparing for the 2024 total solar eclipse • Planetarium show about eclipses • Radio astronomy and black hole images • Composition of stars from spectral analysis • Jigsaw puzzle: full Moon and NASA’s “Blue Marble” Earth image • Draw you own constellations • Types of telescopes • Touch a meteorite • Hubble Space Telescope

Dr. Lubowich, Creator of the Astronomy Festival on the National Mall

Cub Scout Observing the Sun

Crowds Near Naval Research Laboratory

Crowds for STEM activities

NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope Outreach

The Planetary Society, sending postcards to Space on a SpaceX rocket

Bill Nye, President, The Planetary Society

Society of Physics Students Activities: Distance to the Sun; Oreo Moon phases

Thomas Jefferson HS for Science and Technology: Gum drop constellation patterns

Catholic University of America used a football field with planet markers to show the scale of the Solar System

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National Air and Space Museum explaining black holes

Amateur astronomers set up telescopes to view the Sun, Moon, planets, or stars

Activities done until 11 pm with table lamps

Society of Physics Students – Black Hole Demonstration

Thousands doing hands-on activities

Solar observing with Hα filter

Long Lines for Free Planetarium Show

The Astronomy Festival on the National Mall 4100 participants in 2023

Inside the Smithsonian Arts and Industries Building (rain location) Supernova Sponsors: ePlanetarium®, George Mason University, U.S. Naval Research Laboratory. Nova Sponsors: American Astronomical Society, Associated Universities, Inc., National Radio Astronomy Observatory

Long lines to get into the building

Dr. Ezinne Uzo-Okoro, Assistant Director Dr. Ezinne Uzo-Okoro, Assistant Directorfor for Space Policy,White House OfficeofofScience Science Space Policy, White House Office Technology Policy,opened openedthe theAFNM AFNM andand Technology Policy,

Image: E. Uzo-Okoro

Dr. Lacey, Hofstra’s Astronomy Chair, answering astronomy questions

Image: J. Saldana

Image: J. Saldana

Image: Bob Moore

Jigsaw puzzle of NASA’s Earth Image

Drawing your own Constellations

Jigsaw puzzle of the Full Moon

Naval Research Lab Satellite Coronagraph (images outer layer Sun’s atmosphere). Predicts geomagnetic storms - critical space weather measurements for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

Port Discovery Children’s Museum, Baltimore

Maryland STEM Festival

Dr. Lubowich Inside a Black Hole

Email response about the 2017 AFNM: Thank you for organizing the AFNM. My daughter and I had the opportunity to attend, and she had a great time checking out the telescopes, information tables, and activities. I just wanted to thank you for the impact this event had on my daughter (who, at age 8, tells people she wants to be an astronomer and study space).

I picked up a few pairs of eclipse glasses, and was able to use them in Dayton, Ohio, where I teach Physics, Honors Chemistry, and AP Biology. I teamed up with a math teacher, and through the day over 300 students (and a few faculty) had the opportunity to observe the sun and eclipse while we talked about phases of the moon, eclipses, and seasons.

Christina O’Malley, Ph.D., Carroll High School

Long lines to look through telescopes • Telescope views of the Sun and Moon during the day • Telescope views of the Moon, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, nebulae, star clusters, and multi-colored double stars at night • The Unistellar telescope electronic gave images of 100,000 stars in a star cluster and a recent supernova in the spiral galaxy

Image: Bob Moore

People waited to look at the sky with different telescopes

Long lines of over 50 people to look at Jupiter