Post by alandyer on Apr 10, 2011 15:45:25 GMT -5
It was a packed house last night, April 9, for the Rothney Observatory's "Yuri's Night" party, celebrating the 50th anniversary of manned spaceflight and the pioneering flight of Soviet cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin. Hundreds of Yuri's Night events were happening all over the globe.
At the RAO there was Russian dancing and caviar, 1960s videos, space trivia quizzes presented by animated characters (see www.xtranormal.com/ -- this is a great tool for outreach), a live-narrated virtual simulation of the entire flight (really neat! see www.vostok.ca/), door prizes, and telescope viewing outside.
Photos are at tiny.cc/hlc6r
About 120 people turned out, and they were turning people away at the door. This was a ticketed event and had limited capacity. This was a great example of how you can combine education, culture, and a good party into a unique outreach event. Kudos to the RAO and RASC Calgary for putting together a terrific evening.
At the RAO there was Russian dancing and caviar, 1960s videos, space trivia quizzes presented by animated characters (see www.xtranormal.com/ -- this is a great tool for outreach), a live-narrated virtual simulation of the entire flight (really neat! see www.vostok.ca/), door prizes, and telescope viewing outside.
Photos are at tiny.cc/hlc6r
About 120 people turned out, and they were turning people away at the door. This was a ticketed event and had limited capacity. This was a great example of how you can combine education, culture, and a good party into a unique outreach event. Kudos to the RAO and RASC Calgary for putting together a terrific evening.