One Sky - How Culture Influences our Stories of the Night Sky

Our location or culture does not matter: we all look up at the night sky. But do our stories about the night sky differ? Let’s learn the answer at a film screening of One Sky at Towson Planetarium. This documentary is an international collaboration designed to increase our understanding of cultural and Indigenous astronomy, its historical and modern applications, and how our One Sky connects us all. We will finish the evening with a trip to the roof to view the night sky through their telescope.

One Sky is a collection of short films focusing on Indigenous cultures in Greece, India, Northern Canada, Japan, the Pacific Islands, and the Navajo people in the US. Each chapter is presented in an original style, featuring the work of international artists. Each film stands alone as a short story or in combination as a longer narrative. More information on The One Sky Project can be found here:https://oneskyproject.org/.

Planetarium Director Christian Ready will moderate the screening and also lead us outside for a telescope observation after the show using their 16-inch diameter Ritchey-Chrétien telescope and other portable telescopes, if the weather permits. The Towson Planetarium is an all-digital system, newly built in 2021,​ and features a 24-foot diameter dome, 4K-by-4K ultra-high-definition image, and a quadrophonic sound system.

 

Professor Ready fell in love with outer space at a young age. His desire to become an astronomer was fueled by watching reruns of the classic television show, Star Trek.  He works as the planetarium director and lectures in Towson University’s Department of Physics, Astronomy & Geosciences.  A video about Prof. Ready can be viewed here: https://vimeo.com/779700944.

• Our meeting location can be found in your registration confirmation email when payment is completed.
• Watch for additional details in a welcome email sent a few days before the date.
• All participants must be pre-registered. If you are on the waitlist and show up to the event uninvited, you will not be allowed to participate.
• Children over the age of 10 are welcome.
• All children must meet age requirements and be registered as a guest of their adult.
• Dress according to the weather for our outside viewing time.
• Wear sturdy closed-toe hiking or athletic shoes with non-slip soles that can safely handle slippery surfaces for our outside viewing. It may be icy.

All events are held rain or shine. If any event is cancelled due to severe weather, you will receive an email or text. If you do not receive a weather-related email, the trip will proceed as planned.

NEW Payment and Cancellation Policy: Payment is due online at the time of registration. Cancellations made 14 or more days in advance of the event will receive a refund minus a 5% processing fee. Cancellations made within 14 days of the event will not receive a refund. Events and field trips with fees of $25 or less are non-refundable at any time unless canceled by NHSM. NHSM retains the right to update or change these requirements at any time.

For questions, please email Jayne at JAsh@marylandnature.org.