OSN Astronomy XII : The Annual Common Night Celebration in ITB Jatinagor

Oleh Medhira Handinidevi

Editor Medhira Handinidevi

BANDUNG, itb.ac.id - ITB Jatinangor celebrates the Common Night of National Science Olympic (Olimpiade Sains Nasional, OSN), Wednesday (03/09/13). The ceremony was held in Jatinangor's Amphitheatre by the team of OSN Astronomy XII together with multiple astronomy organisation in Indonesia, including Cakrawala, Langit Selatan and the Student Body of Astronomi (HIMASTRON ITB).
The Common Night was an annual celebration that aims to introduce astronomy to public crowd. In this wonderful ceremony, there are two telescope for observing the magnificent objects of the sky. Among the objects, there are planets, stars, star clusters, constellations, and if lucky the observer can see the galaxy.

The crowds can also watch the simulation of spacial movement of the objects by using a special software design to visualize the movement. The guide from Langit Selatan will explain how these objects moved throughout the sky. Moreover, the crowds can also enjoy the panoramic view of another nightsky from around the globe, for example in Alaska. The special software was able to computate and visualize exactly the position of the objects.

OSN Common Night were dedicated to the teachers and also the localmen of ITB Jatinangor. "We want to present an event that has an educational effect while the OSN's participants was doing the exam. Apart from introducing astronomy to the public, the students were not disturb or distract by the event," said Gabriela Kezia Haans (Event Coordinator). The night ends as the crowds wondering about the butterfly-like star cluster and Saturnus. "It's very hard to find a good spot in Bandung to observe the nightsky. This night we were lucky, Jatinagor was fulled with many stars," said Yatny Yulianty form Langit Selatan.

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