Telescopes for All

An IAU Global Outreach Project

Overview

The Telescopes for All project distributes telescopes signed by astronauts and scientists, including Nobel Prize winners, to underserved communities around the world. The project aims to broaden the horizons of children, adults and educators while sparking an interest in science and raising awareness for equal opportunities in pursuing careers in astronomy.

This project is conducted in partnership with Sterren Schitteren Voor Iedereen (Stars Shine for Everyone — SSVI) and Leiden University/Universe Awareness (UNAWE).

2021 Telescopes for All

The 2021 Telescopes for All project received 225 applications from 54 countries with the active support of the IAU National Outreach Coordinators (NOCs). The selected proposals will bring telescopes to socially deprived communities in Poland; help tackle educational disparities and improve access to STEM for women and girls in Botswana and Mauritius; reach rural areas in Malaysia; and refugee camps in Jordan, to name a few.

The telescopes have been awarded to the following proposals:

Telescopes for All in Afghanistan, Kayhana Astronomical Group, Afghanistan
Telescopes for All in Botswana, Machana Satellite School, Botswana
Tomorrow’s Stars (Astros do Amanhã), Leva Ciência Institute (Instituto Nacional Leva Ciência - INALC), Brazil
Telescopes for All in Ghana, Tetteh-Ocloo School for the Deaf, Ghana
Namma Telescope, Open Space Foundation (OSF), India
Telescopes for All in Iraq, Freelance, Al-Muthanna University (Lecturer), Iraq
Telescopes for All in Jordan, Jordanian Astronomical Society (JAS), Jordan
Telescopes for All in Malaysia, SJKT JUGRA School, Malaysia
Telescopes for All in Mauritius, Hindu Girls’ College Astronomy Club, Mauritius
Evening Meetings With Astronomy, Grupa Edukacji Astronomicznej na Czarnej Hucie (The Black Ironworks Astronomical Education Group), Poland
Telescopes for All in Samoa, Tiapapata Art Centre, Samoa
Telescopes for All in Timor Leste, Knua Sentrál ba Prátika Siénsia no Matemátika (KSP), East Timor

In light of the COVID-19 pandemic, and similar to the 2020 edition, a digital camera will be provided with each telescope so that the outreach professionals and science educators can conduct their observations and share them safely with their community online until face-to-face interactions are safe.

The OAO and SSVI would like to acknowledge and thank BRESSER for donating the telescopes, eyepieces, cameras and solar foil, Universe Awareness/Leiden University for shipping, and GILBOS for their support of the project. The OAO and SSVI would also like to thank the following individuals and organisations for supporting the project and sponsoring the physical assemblage of the telescope through SSVI: Rob Walrecht Productions for educational materials, School H. Familie Secundair of St. Niklaas, Erik Dijk, Koen Geukens, Makiko Aoki, Wim Maats, André De Coster, Jos Pauwels and the public observatory Sterrenwacht Orion Streekbos of the Netherlands. Our special thanks to all scientists, Nobel Prize Winners and astronauts for their support of this project.

More information

The IAU is the international astronomical organisation that brings together more than 12 000 active professional astronomers from more than 100 countries worldwide. Its mission is to promote and safeguard astronomy in all its aspects, including research, communication, education and development, through international cooperation. The IAU also serves as the internationally recognised authority for assigning designations to celestial bodies and the surface features on them. Founded in 1919, the IAU is the world's largest professional body for astronomers.

The IAU Office for Astronomy Outreach (OAO) is a joint project of the International Astronomical Union (IAU) and the National Astronomical Observatory of Japan (NAOJ). The mission of the OAO is to engage the public in astronomy through access to astronomical information and communication of the science of astronomy. This is implemented through a network of IAU National Outreach Coordinators (NOCs) and the IAU’s engagement initiatives with the public. The work of the OAO is about building bridges between the IAU and the global astronomy community, and through international collaboration, to make astronomy accessible to all.

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