International Observe the Moon Night is October 5

International Observe the Moon Night (InOMN 2019) is back, scheduled for October 5, 2019. It’ll be a special one this year, coming, as it does, in the year of the 50th anniversary of Apollo 11’s historic landing on the moon on July 20, 1969. There are many ways to celebrate the event, which we talk about below. In addition, the Virtual Telescope Project in Rome invites you to join InOMN 2019 online, live, from the comfort of your home, allowing you to enjoy the moon above Rome’s stunning skyline.

The online, free session is scheduled for October 5, 2019, starting at 17:00 UTC (1 p.m. EDT); translate UTC to your time. To join the International Observe the Moon Night online via the Virtual Telescope Project, you just need to enter at the date and time above the webTV page here.

NASA described this event on the InOMN webpage:

International Observe the Moon Night is a worldwide celebration of lunar science and exploration, celestial observation, and our cultural and personal connections to the moon. One day each year, everyone on Earth is invited to observe, learn about, and celebrate the moon together.

This event always occurs in September or October, at a time when the moon is around first quarter – a great phase for evening observing. Furthermore, the best lunar observing is typically along the moon’s terminator (the line between night and day) where shadows are the longest, rather than at full moon.

You can participate by attending or hosting an International Observe the Moon Night event, or by registering as a lunar observer. Connect with fellow lunar enthusiasts around the world through NASA’s Facebook page, #ObserveTheMoon on your preferred social media platform, and the International Observe the Moon Night Flickr group.

To sum up, here are some next steps if you want to join International Observe the Moon Night 2019:

InOMN 2019: Join the Virtual Telescope Project to view the moon online, above the skyline of Rome

InOMN 2019: Attend an event in your location

InOMN 2019: Host an event

InOMN 2019: Register with NASA as a lunar observer

View NASA’s InOMN 2019 Facebook page

View NASA’s InOMN 2019 Flickr group

Bottom line: International Observe the Moon Night is October 5, 2019. Here are some ways to join in.

Join the Virtual Telescope Project to view the moon online, on International Observe the Moon night