Asteroid Day in Iraq – University of Baghdad
Asteroid Day in Iraq – University of Baghdad https://asteroidday-uploads.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/14182147/unnamed11.jpeg 512 384 Asteroid Day https://asteroidday-uploads.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/14182147/unnamed11.jpeg
Established in 1998, the University of Baghdad is the only University in Iraq with a department dedicated to Astronomy and Space. Throughout the year, they carry out various outreach activities, many of them are linked to proposals by the International Astronomical Union. It was thanks to the IAU that they heard about Asteroid Day.
In 2021 University of Baghdad participated in Asteroid Day for the first time. So far they have organised two editions partnering with the The National Research Institute of Astronomy and Geophysics (NRIAG) based in Egypt.
Posters of the two Asteroid Day appearances by the Department of Astronomy and Space. The events were held together with a scientific organization from Egypt.
According to Dr. Ahmed A. Selman, Chairman of the department, asteroids are a new topic for the Iraqi public. The department introduced its public to Asteroid Day for the first time via webinars. Organised by University of Baghdad, experts and amateurs came together to answer viewers’ questions about asteroids and planetary defence.
Webinar hosted at the 2022 Asteroid Day edition. Experts and amateurs were able to answer questions made by the audience.
In the future, Dr. Ahmed and his team are planning to host events in public parks and institutes to make them accessible to the general public. This way, their activities will also become more interactive. They believe that advertising and the media have an important role to play in promoting general awareness of astronomy, space and asteroid science.
By popularising their activities, the University of Baghdad Department of Astronomy and Space will overcome the challenge of raising awareness about the department’s work. They are eager to do as many activities as possible to draw the public’s attention to the importance of astronomical science in modern societies.
Learn more about the University of Baghdad Department of Astronomy and Space:
Website
Facebook
Instagram
