The 30th anniversary of the Voyager-1 Pale Blue Dot photograph will be celebrated on 14 February 2020. This unforgettable image illustrates the unique astronomical perspective of our planet Earth: from space, national boundaries disappear, and the fragility of our world becomes very evident. This perspective is pertinent to our current times, reminding ourselves that we are all global citizens and the need for us to take care of our home planet.
In response, the International Astronomical Union is inviting everyone to recognise this significant anniversary between 13th-20th February 2020 by organising activities around the topics of global citizenship and environmental awareness. A dedicated website outlines the aims of the project but also provides a collection of resources and activity ideas to facilitate the organisation of events etc.
The Pale Blue Dot global project intends to help event organizers to use astronomy as a tool to initiate conversations in their respective communities about global citizenship and uniting people from all cultures and backgrounds. Furthermore, this initiative aims to inform audiences about climate change by using the perspective of astronomy to remind the public that the Earth is our only habitable home.
If you have any queries, please feel free to get in touch with me or the IAU Pale Blue Dot Project Coordinator, Bethany Downer, as outlined below.
Professor Robert Walsh, UK IAU National Outreach Coordinator, rwwalsh@uclan.ac.uk and ukiaucentenary@uclan.ac.uk
Bethany Downer, Pale Blue Dot Project Coordinator, IAU100 Secretariat, downer@strw.leidenuniv.nl