These suggestions are specifically for astronomy clubs, but see also the suggestions for community groups.
Host a public star party. You may wish to team up with a local private observatory, museum, science centre, local council or another astronomy club to do this. If you are in a city, consider running a series of small viewing sessions at different places over a week or a fortnight.
Create a YouTube video – on astrophotography, for instance, or how to run a successful star party.
“Twin” your club with a club in another country, to exchange advice and experience. See the list of countries signed up for IYA . You can find some clubs on the web. You could also pick a country and email the national IYA contact person, asking him/her to find a club that would like to link up with you.
Help people buy and use a telescope. Run a session on how to buy a telescope. Run a “telescope troubleshoot” session, where people bring along the telescope they’re having trouble with and you advise them on how to use it or repair it – or what to replace it with.
Take photographs of the sky. For something a little different, consider contributing to The World At Night , a collection of photographs of landscapes with the night sky as a backdrop.
Run a Skypecast of an astronomical event.
Last Updated ( Thursday, 07 February 2008 )