Founded in 2007, Astronomers Without Borders is a U.S.-based organization founded by Mike Simmons and Anousheh Ansari. Astronomers Without Borders is dedicated to spreading astronomy throughout the world, by getting people in developed countries to sponsor the purchase of equipment and training for people in developing countries. This is because the group of the organization is “to fostering understanding and goodwill across national and cultural boundaries by creating relationships through the universal appeal of astronomy. Astronomers Without Borders projects promote sharing. Sharing resources. Sharing knowledge. Sharing inspiration. All through a common interest in something basic and universal. Sharing the sky.”[1]
Since its founding, the group has since achieved official 501(c)3 nonprofit and tax-free status in the US in 2009. This happens to coincide with the International Year of Astronomy, which was the year-long celebration of astronomy that took place in 2009 to coincide with the 400th anniversary of the first recorded astronomical observations with a telescope by Galileo Galilei and the publication of Johannes Kepler’s Astronomia nova in the 17th century.
There are several ways to get involved with the group, which includes becoming a member, joining an event, and getting involved with one of their programs. The group does organize a Global Astronomy Month every April, which …. 3 types of programs: Resource Sharing Programs, Arts & Culture Programs, and Community Programs. The Resource Sharing Programs are “programs [that] provide the opportunity to share knowledge, experience, digital materials, printed matter, equipment, and more.”[2] The Arts & Culture Programs “highlight the ways in which astronomy enriches our cultures and our daily lives.”[3] The “Community Programs bring people together through our common interest in astronomy. By actively engaged in activities together, differences between us become unimportant.” [4] All of the most recent projects can be found on the Astronomers Without Borders website, which is linked below.
For those interested in becoming a member, there are 3 different levels, each of which have their own benefits. The basic tier membership is the Free Membership, the middle tier being the Contributing at $30 per year ($2.50 a month), and the top tier is the sustaining membership at $150 a year, which is $12.50 a month
References And Further Reading
[1]=https://astronomerswithoutborders.org/about-astronomers-without-borders.html
[2]=https://astronomerswithoutborders.org/awb-programs/resource-sharing-programs.html
[3]=https://astronomerswithoutborders.org/awb-programs/arts-and-culture.html
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