International Observe the Moon Night 2019: Skywatching Livestreams
By Elizabeth Howell 05 October 2019
As NASA continues its push to land humans on the moon again in 2024, you can celebrate International Observe the Moon Night via two livestreams (if you can't catch the moon outside).
Astronomy broadcast service Slooh will showcase the first-quarter moon from its flagship observatory at the Institute of Astrophysics of the Canary Islands, while the Virtual Telescope Project will display the moon over Rome.
The Slooh broadcast starts today (Oct. 5) at 4 p.m. EDT (2000 GMT). You can watch it here at Space.com, or Slooh members can also watch it directly on Slooh.com here. Slooh astronomer Paul Cox will host the broadcast along with a team of astronomical experts. Besides showcasing views of the moon through telescopes, the team will discuss how backyard observers can look at the moon, the history of mapping the moon, and even tips for photographing our celestial neighbor.
Related: Amazing Moon Photos from NASA's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter
The moon over Huntsville, Alabama. (Image credit: NASA/MSFC/Joby Minor)
Earth's moon won't be the only moon on the Slooh broadcast. Slooh will also show the four "Galilean" moons (Io, Europa, Ganymede and Callisto) of Jupiter, so-called because the astronomer Galileo Galilei was one of the first people to see these moons with a telescope in the early 1600s. (Contemporary astronomer Simon Marius likely discovered the moons independently, according to Encyclopedia Britannica.)
The Virtual Telescope Project will start broadcasting views of the moon from Rome at 1 p.m. EDT (1700 GMT) today. Astrophysicist Gianluca Masi, founder of the project, will provide live commentary, including discussing details of the lunar surface. Masi will point out the landing site of the Apollo 11 mission, which touched down on the moon 50 years ago this past summer.
"The Virtual Telescope Project will offer a live, online observing session to show you our wonderful satellite, with the addition of the legendary skyline of Rome," Masi said in a statement. The telescope will be stationed at a historic church near Vatican City. You can view the broadcast here
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