Host an Act of Astronomy for 100 Hours of Astronomy October 2026

One sky, 100 hours. You host. Slooh brings the telescopes.

This October, the IAU Office for Astronomy Outreach, the World Space Week Association and Slooh are inviting anyone, anywhere, to gather people under the sky and explore our universe together.

We're calling it Acts of Astronomy. It runs as part of the IAU's 100 Hours of Astronomy(1–4 October) and UN World Space Week (4–10 October). This year's 100 Hours theme is the exploration of our Solar System and how it has changed our understanding of our place in the Universe.

Every Act of Astronomy you register is counted. Your classroom, club, library, backyard or video call joins a movement happening around the world at the same time.

How to take part

1. Register your Act of Astronomy.
Tell us when and where, in person or online. It takes about three minutes, and every registration counts toward the global total. Hosting more than one? Register each one separately.

2. Claim your free Slooh Observer licence.
Every host gets a Slooh Observer licence that's yours to keep. It opens a window into our robotic telescopes in the Canary Islands, Chile and Australia.

3. Host, then share.
Bring people together and look up. Afterwards, send us your attendance, photos and your best observation of the night.

👉 Register here and claim your Observer account: https://bom32.share.hsforms.com/2pAs0H0kQRc2qxwFnIf-l_Q 

Host it your way

You don't need a telescope, a dark sky or any experience.

• In person: Schools, libraries, parks, planetariums, backyards. Put Slooh's live telescope views on a screen.
• Online: Zoom, Google Meet, any video call. Share your screen and explore the Solar System together, wherever your guests are.
• Hybrid: A room full of people, plus friends and family dialling in from far away.

What's in the sky, 1–10 October

• 4 October: Saturn at opposition. The ringed planet is at its closest and brightest of the year and up all night. The rings are tilted only about 7.5° toward us, so look for a thin, bright line through the planet. It's also the day 100 Hours of Astronomy hands off to World Space Week.
• Early October: the Moon. The waning Moon reaches last quarter on 3 October and rises later each night, so early evenings stay dark.
• Around 8 October: Draconid meteors. A small shower, typically 5–10 meteors an hour, with a brief peak near dusk. It's best seen from the Northern Hemisphere.
• After sunset: Venus. The brilliant "evening star" sits low in the west for an hour or two after sunset. It's easier to see from the Southern Hemisphere.
• Late night: Jupiter. Very bright, rising around 11 pm. Binoculars show its four largest moons as tiny dots.
• 11 October: new moon. The last nights of the campaign are the darkest of the month, good for galaxies and star clusters.

Join Slooh live

We'll open and close 100 Hours of Astronomy with two free live events from our telescopes. You can stream them into your own Act of Astronomy or just tune in.

• Kickoff, Thursday 1 October: We open 100 Hours of Astronomy live from Slooh. Live broadcast begins: 🕓 2:00 PM PDT | 5:00 PM EDT | 21:00 UTC https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aldbd_ZJHhU
• Join Slooh's Global Star Party on October 5 for a special World Space Week celebration, as we wrap up 100 Hours of Astronomy and look at how space has opened up to all of us. Live broadcast begins: 🕓 10:00 AM PDT | 1:00 PM EDT | 17:00 UTC https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vZW5xUda-0A

Recognition

Winners in three categories will receive Slooh Explorer licenses! 

IAU National Outreach Coordinators: the 50 coordinators who log the most Acts of Astronomy will each receive a one-year Slooh Advanced licence.

Questions

Does Slooh run my Act of Astronomy?
No. You host it. Slooh provides free telescope access, ideas and your place in the global count.

Is it really free?
Yes. Registration is free, and your Observer licence stays free for good.

Who can host?
Anyone: teachers, students, clubs, families, libraries, museums and science centres.

Can I host more than one?
Yes. Register each event separately so each one counts.

What happens after my event?
Fill in the short follow-up form with your attendance, photos and your best observation. That's how we count every participant and choose the winners.

The Universe belongs to everyone

Let's prove it, one Act of Astronomy at a time.

👉 Register here: https://bom32.share.hsforms.com/2pAs0H0kQRc2qxwFnIf-l_Q 

Share yours with #ActsOfAstronomy #100HoursOfAstronomy #WorldSpaceWeek #Slooh

Acts of Astronomy is a collaboration between the IAU Office for Astronomy Outreach, the World Space Week Association and Slooh.