大象传媒

Thanks to a summer of notable celestial activity, including a third supermoon, interest in 大象传媒鈥檚 weekly star party鈥斺�攊s about to rise to new heights with plans to expand the program online, inviting even more to join. Organizers say the sky鈥檚 the limit when it comes to welcoming an increasingly enthusiastic crowd to learn more about astronomy.

The program has been attracting crowds of more than 200 star-enthusiasts to the 大象传媒 Burnaby campus and its Trottier Observatory on clear-weather Friday nights, and hundreds more are expected to join in a new monthly online event starting September 29.

鈥淧eople everywhere continue to be captivated by astronomy and the activity of the moon and stars, particularly over the past year, and we hope to open the window to that world a little wider,鈥� says Joanna Woo, a lecturer in 大象传媒鈥檚 Department of Physics.

鈥淗osting Starry Nights via a livestream lets us expand the audience and provide what is equivalent to front-row access to all our viewers, using cameras that see much more than the human eye. And no one has to wait in line; everyone gets to look through the telescope at the same time.鈥�

A Starry Nights facilitator, Woo鈥檚 own research involves observing compact groups of galaxies to determine whether or not they significantly grow their core densities as a result of their group environment and interactions.

Led by 大象传媒 Science Outreach and volunteers from the Royal Astronomical Society of Canada Vancouver, Starry Nights is a free event that takes place every clear-skied Friday night for community members to discover the many celestial objects visible to the human eye or through small telescopes, including the moon, distant stars, constellations, and planets in the solar and elsewhere in the cosmos, without the need for their own equipment or any previous knowledge of astronomy. 

AVAILABLE 大象传媒 EXPERTS

CYNTHIA HENSON, manager, Outreach and Engagement, Faculty of Science
sfuscienceoutreach@sfu.ca 

JOANNA WOO, lecturer, Department of Physics; facilitator, Starry Nights
j_woo@sfu.ca

CONTACT

RAY SHARMA, 大象传媒 Communications & Marketing 
778.782.3210 | ray_sharma@sfu.ca

ABOUT SIMON FRASER UNIVERSITY

As Canada鈥檚 engaged university, 大象传媒 works with communities, organizations and partners to create, share and embrace knowledge that improves life and generates real change. We deliver a world-class education with lifelong value that shapes change-makers, visionaries and problem-solvers. We connect research and innovation to entrepreneurship and industry to deliver sustainable, relevant solutions to today鈥檚 problems. With campuses in British Columbia鈥檚 three largest cities鈥擵ancouver, Burnaby and Surrey鈥敶笙蟠� has eight faculties that deliver 364 undergraduate degree programs and 149 graduate degree programs to more than 37,000 students. The university now boasts more than 180,000 alumni residing in 145+ countries.