In downtown Morelia, some 4000 people enjoyed the star party during “Noche de las Estrellas 2024” on the afternoon and evening of Saturday, November 9.
This year, the main theme was “Marie Curie, 90 years after her passing,” so various activities in the program revolved around topics such as radioactivity and women in science, as well as astronomy and space science.
The program included talks, hands-on activities, and demonstrations for all ages on these topics, as well as the screening of the video “Exploring the Solar System” in the mobile planetarium, and musical performances from the balcony of the UNAM Centro Cultural Morelia.
Attendees were able to enjoy the waxing Moon, the planet Saturn, and the Pleiades star cluster, among other objects, using the telescopes installed by the Organizing Committee, composed of the Institute of Radio Astronomy and Astrophysics (IRyA) at the UNAM, Campus Morelia, the Astronomical Society of Michoacán (SAMAC) and the Institute of Science, Technology and Innovation of the State of Michoacán (ICTI).
Numeralia Night of the Stars 2024 Morelia
- 4000 people in total
- 18 telescopes
- 1 Mobile planetarium
- 3 musical presentations
- 10 short talks
- 22 workshops, exhibitions and activities
- About 180 volunteers in total on the staff
Photos: Itzel Rosas, Brenda González
Local Committee of the “Noche de las Estrellas” 2024
The Local Committee of the “Noche de las Estrellas” 2024 organizes this event in Morelia. It is composed by the The Institute of Radio Astronomy and Astrophysics (IRyA) at UNAM, Campus Morelia; the Institute of Science, Technology and Innovation of the State of Michoacán; and the Astronomical Society of Michoacán, SAMAC.
Additionally, the 2024 edition program includes staff and students from UNAM Campus Morelia: the UNAM Centro Cultural Morelia, CIGA, CCM, ENES Unidad Morelia, IIES, IIM and the Unidad de Vinculación; staff and students from the Michoacán State University: FisMat, IFM, and IIQB; the group of teachers from USAER 73Z, special education, from the Michoacán Education Secretariat; members of outreach groups and associations such as the student group of the Technological Institute of Morelia “Space Karani”, Astrofísicos en Acción, DiVU A. C., and the Association of Young People for Nuclear Energy in Mexico (AJENM); and other invited people and volunteers from different institutions, groups and associations.
Social Media and Website “Noche de las Estrellas” Morelia (in Spanish)
Facebook: www.facebook.com/NocheEstrellasMorelia
X (Twitter): x.com/NdEMorelia
National Noche de las Estrellas webpage: nochedelasestrellas.org.mx
Additional Information: “Noche de las Estrellas”
The “Noche de las Estrellas” is a major event for astronomical and scientific outreach that has been held in Mexico since 2009, the International Year of Astronomy. The event is a science festival that includes hands-on activities, talks, cultural presentations, telescope observation, and many other activities distributed in dozens of cities throughout the country. Together, they from the largest astronomical outreach event in the country, which is perhaps the largest event of general scientific public outreach, with an estimated attendance of up to 250,000 people annually adding up all the venues nationwide.
It is inspired by a similar event held in France in the 1990s. For this reason, the “Noche de las Estrellas” in Mexico initially involved the network of French Alliances. Currently, it brings together the professional astronomy community with the amateur astronomy community, as well as groups and personalities from the field of science communication and outreach, together with municipal and state government entities, to share knowledge related to astronomy and other related sciences in the form of a science fair.
Additional information: “Noche de las Estrellas” in Michoacán
The first “Noche de las Estrellas” in Michoacán was held in the Archaeological Zone of Tzintzuntzan in 2009, with a record attendance of approximately eight thousand people. Since then, the event has been held annually without interruption in various venues in the municipalities of Tzintzuntzan, Pátzcuaro and Morelia, and online during the Covid-19 pandemic.
Media contact:
Dr. René A. Ortega Minakata
Outreach and Science Communication
IRyA UNAM Campus Morelia
Text: IRyA UNAM