The home page of Google surprised users by celebrating with a suggestive Doodles – entirely decorated with celestial bodies, stars and galaxies – the World Space Weekthe global anniversary established in 1999 by the United Nations which unites astronomy enthusiasts from all over the planet. The planning of the celebrations is underway from 4 to 10 Octoberwas not chosen randomly, but commemorates two milestones of cosmic exploration.
The start date in fact coincides with historic launch of the first artificial satellite in history, Sputnik 1which occurred on October 4, 1957 at the hands ofSoviet Unionan event that officially kicked off the famous space race. The closing of the event, scheduled for October 10thinstead celebrates the signing of theOuter Space Treaty occurred in 1967considered to all intents and purposes the fundamental constitution governing the laws and activities that regulate extra-atmospheric spaces.
The theme chosen for this year’s edition focuses particularly on rocketscelebrating the technological progress and economic ferment generated by the entry into the sector of private giants such as Elon’s SpaceX Muskcapable of making space flight increasingly accessible.
The curious partnership between ESA and Pokémon
To bring new generations closer to scientific disciplines and stimulate the curiosity of younger people towards astronomy, theEuropean Space Agency has promoted for this edition an extraordinary and unexpected cultural collaboration with i Pokémon. The initiative led to the creation of a traveling exhibition hosted in the main scientific museums of the continent, including the famous Science Museum in London, the Cité de l’espace in Toulouse and the various operational headquarters of the European body, such as the ESRIN in Rome and the ESOC in Darmstadt.
The undisputed protagonist of this educational campaign is the very famous character of Pikachupictured in special illustrations and official gadgets while wearing a detailed astronaut suit.
The disclosure operation also saw the direct involvement of the astronaut Sophie AdenotThat ha bitA soft toy was brought aboard the International Space Station special of the famous pocket monster, immortalized in a series of photographs in the absence of gravity. . The celebrations will end under the starry sky on October 10, when the new moon phase will offer astronomy lovers the ideal conditions to observe the infinity of the universe.
