Outreach

Science and art to celebrate Asteroid Day 2023 in Puebla

The National Institute of Astrophysics, Optics and Electronics (INAOE), the Faculty of Mathematical and Physical Sciences (FCFM) of the BUAP and the French Alliance of Puebla (AFP), join to celebrate the Asteroid Day with a program of activities that includes art, scientific dissemination, teaching and astronomical observations.
Asteroid Day is a global awareness movement where people from all over the world come together to learn about asteroids and what can be done to protect our planet, family, community and future generations.

On June 30, 1908, the Tunguska event was recorded in the Siberian region, it was the largest impact the Earth has suffered in recent history. A rocky asteroid, about 40 meters in diameter, entered Earth's atmosphere and exploded, fortunately in an unpopulated and isolated area.
Collisions are of great importance in the history of our planet. The “giant impact theory” says that the Moon originated after the impact of a planet the size of Mars with the Earth, while another theory, which also involves a large impact, proposes that the collision of an asteroid ended the dinosaurs 65 million years ago, creating the Chicxulub crater in Yucatan as evidence.
Asteroid Day is held on the anniversary of Tunguska and events such as concerts, conferences and other educational programs are organized around the world to support this movement.
In the case of Puebla, we will start with two round tables in the BUAP FCFM auditorium. In the first we will have the opportunity to listen to INAOE researchers who are experts in the so-called minor bodies of the solar system: José Ramón Valdés, José Guichard and Sergio Camacho, who will talk about research, teaching and dissemination around asteroids. The second table, which we have titled "Student Armageddon" is a dialogue between doctoral, master's and undergraduate students who are involved with asteroids, either through their theses or through stays and social service.
In the afternoon, at 6:00 p.m., at the facilities of the French Alliance in Puebla, Raúl Mújica will give the talk "Asteroids, travelers of the solar system" and at the end the exhibition of images "Asteroids, a visual journey of the hand of the Little Prince", will open to the public. This exhibition combines images and illustrations of asteroids, which have been fundamental in the development of the study of their nature, interspersed with illustrations made by the author of the Little Prince, since this year marks the 80th anniversary of the publication of this classic work of universal literature.
To close with a flourish, at night, starting at 8 pm, the famous Schmidt Chamber of Tonantzintla, at INAOE, will open its doors so that visitors can observe asteroids and find out about the investigations that are being carried out with this astronomical instrument.
The activities are free and open to the public. In the case of the activities in the FCFM of the BUAP, people from outside the University who want to attend, must present, when entering CU, a QR that any of the contacts below can provide them.

Contacts:

Laetitia Vigneron

Alianza Francesa de Puebla (AFP)

cultura@alianzafrancesapuebla.org.mx

info@alianzafrancesapuebla.org.mx

José Eduardo Vega García

Facultad de Ciencias Físico Matemáticas (FCFM-BUAP)

vegaed1209@gmail.com

Raúl Mújica García

José Ramón Valdés Parra

Instituto Nacional de Astrofísica, Óptica y Electrónica (INAOE)

rmujica@inaoep.mx

jvaldes@inaoep.mx