Did you know that Annie Cannon (1863-1941) was the creator of the current stellar classification, OBAFGKM, based on the stellar spectra? Or that Jocelyn Bell (1943- ) discovered a strange radio signal -which she called “Little Green Men”- that turned out to be rapidly rotating compact stars that emit very regular pulses of radiation, or pulsars? During past times there were exceptional and lucky women that could follow their passion and study Astronomy. Yet, quite often their work was kept behind the scenes. Lucky us, times change!
We would like to celebrate with all of you the International Day of Women and Girls in Science!
And what better way to celebrate this special day than to bring together female professional Astronomers working in the Czech Republic and to put their knowledge and experiences within reach of everyone? That is Chat s astronomkou (Chat with Women in Astronomy), a series of activities taking place from 16 February to 13 March, inspired by the International Day of Women and Girls in Science (11 February) and the International Women’s Day (8 March).
What activities will be organised?
- Chat s Astronomkou – classical edition. On Friday, 13 March from 5 to 8 p.m. a chat box will be available on this website, where you will be able to chat with one of our Astronomers. The topic of the chat is entirely up to you. It can be a follow-up of some of the podcasts or more specific questions. Below you can find a brief description of the participants so you can get to know them before the chat and think about your questions. Please, be aware that, as international as science is, there will be Czech and foreign astronomers online. This activity was inspired by “Chatea con una Astrónoma”, organised by the Spanish Astronomical Society.
- Chat s Astronomkou – school edition. Teachers are welcome to contact us to arrange a private written chat with their class, to be held between 16 February and 13 March. Children will join the chat in small groups and the selected Astronomers will be ready to answer their questions. We invite Science and Foreign languages teachers to get in touch with us. Moreover, if the chat piques their interest, we can also agree on a face-to-face talk at your school! For more details, please contact jana.kasparova@asu.cas.cz.
- Chat s Astronomkou – edition for after-school or astronomical clubs. After-school or astronomical clubs are welcome to contact us to arrange a private written chat for children’s groups. These chats can be held between 16 February and 13 March and last about 30 min in the afternoon. We recommend discussing the topics with the children before the chat. For more details, please contact jana.kasparova@asu.cas.cz.
We are looking forward to chatting with you!!
