The southern Milky Way can be so bright that on a clear moonless night
it will cause shadows, yet it is something people living in the
northern hemisphere only hear stories of. In the same way, the beauty
and objects of the northern sky are a mystery to southern residents.
Astronomers Without Borders,
Virtual Telescope and
Global Rent a Scope bring both hemispheres together under one sky.
For this project there will be two telescopes -- one in the northern
hemisphere and one in the south -- on two different nights. No
experience is needed. This is a chance to watch as an experienced
telescope operator and guide show how they capture the wonders of the
night sky.
All you need is a computer connected to the Internet, with loudspeakers or headphones.
You need to have the
free Flash plugin
installed. If you can see and hear videos on YouTube then your system
is ready. You can test this as well by going to the Virtual Telescope
page -- if you can see the small video in the upper left corner then
your system is ready to use. More than 95% of computers already have
Flash installed.
Go to the
Virtual Telescope's Big Dipper to Southern Cross page at the dates and times of the event (see times and dates below).
Not sure when that is in your time zone? Go to the
World Clock Time Zone Converter to convert these times to your local time zone.
In case of bad weather at the observing stations the event will be run using backup images or rescheduled.
Northern Hemisphere – Virtual Telescope (Italy)
Virtual Telescope from Italy will broadcast imges and narrative
live, allowing people around the world to share in viewing and imaging
the best northern celestial objects.
Date - Friday 8th of January 2010 Time – 20:00 UT – 22:00 UT
Southern Hemisphere – GRAS (Australia)
The brilliance and special objects of the southern sky will be captured by the GRAS Remote Telescope in Southern Australia.
Date – Sunday 10th of January 2010 Time – 12:30UT – 14:30 UT