Just over 4,000 people enjoyed the night sky at the 2025 “Noche de las Estrellas” star party in Morelia, held on the Calzada Fray Antonio de San Miguel (San Diego) on the afternoon and evening of Saturday, November 29. A staff of 153 people made the entire event program possible, volunteering their time for the enjoyment of all attendees.
This year, the main theme was Quantum Science and Technology, with the slogan “Between Stars and Atoms,” coinciding with the International Year of Quantum Science and Technology. Various activities in the program revolved around this theme, in addition to astronomy and space science.
Attendees observed the crescent moon and the planet Saturn through 14 telescopes, operated by volunteers from the Institute of Radio Astronomy and Astrophysics (IRyA) of the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM) in Morelia, and the Faculty of Physical and Mathematical Sciences of the Michoacan University of San Nicolás de Hidalgo.
The program included eight talks for the general public, 24 showings of the video “Exploring the Solar System” in the mobile planetarium, and 23 hands-on activities and exhibitions for all ages. The Michoacán State Institute of Science, Technology and Innovation (ICTI) made a significant contribution to these activities through financial support.
Attendees also had the opportunity to participate in the discussion “The Universe in Full Color with Its Box of Quantum Paints,” a live projection of the Moon on a giant screen, and two performances by young guitarists from the city of Morelia, played from the balcony of the UNAM Morelia Cultural Center, featuring pieces by various composers, including Vincenzo Galilei, father of Galileo Galilei.
Photos: Itzel Rosas
Who organized the 2025 “Noche de las Estrellas” star party in Morelia?
The coordination of the 2025 “Noche de las Estrellas” in Morelia was handled by the Institute of Radio Astronomy and Astrophysics (IRyA) of the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM), Morelia Campus. Other collaborators included the Institute of Science, Technology and Innovation of the State of Michoacán; staff and students from various UNAM Morelia Campus entities: UNAM Morelia Cultural Center, CIGA, CCM, ENES, IIES, IIM, and the Liaison Unit; staff and students from the Faculty of Physics and Mathematics (FisMat) and Institute of Physics (IFM) at the Michoacán University of San Nicolás de Hidalgo (UMSNH); teachers from the Special Education Support Units (USAER), Adult Basic Education Centers (CEBA), and secondary schools of the Michoacán Ministry of Education; Space Karani, a student outreach group from the Michoacán Institute of Technology (ITM); and civil society outreach groups: DiVU A.C., Astroabraxas, and the Association of Young People for Nuclear Energy in Mexico (AJENM). The Motolinia School, paramedics, and public safety personnel also collaborated.
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 and star party 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 “Alliance française”. 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. In 2025 it will be held for the first time in Lázaro Cárdenas.
Media contact:
Dr. René A. Ortega Minakata
Outreach and Science Communication
IRyA UNAM Campus Morelia
Text: René A. Ortega Minakata, IRyA UNAM