Rock The Planet with Yuri's Night this April!

We're 23 days away from the Cambridge Science Festival, and our event highlight of the day is "Yuri's Night with Student Astronomers of Harvard-Radcliffe!"

Rock the Planet with Yuri's Night this April!
by Brice Russ, Yuri's Night Assistant Director

April 12 is more than just the first day of the Cambridge Science Festival--it's a major milestone in space exploration!
On April 12, 1961, cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin became the first human to fly into space; twenty years later, on April 12, 1981, NASA began the Space Shuttle program with the launch of Columbia. Now, every April, tens of thousands of people around the world come together for Yuri's Night, a celebration of our past, present, and future in space.

Launching air-powered rockets at Yuri's Night in Inverness, Scotland

Yuri's Night parties bring people together by combining education and outreach with space-themed entertainment and partying. One Yuri's Night event may have an afternoon of scientific presentations followed by a night of dancing and stargazing; another might get together to talk space at a local restaurant before watching First Orbit or another space movie. Last year, Yuri's Night was celebrated at over 230 events in 52 countries around the globe, everywhere from museums and NASA Centers to bars and barbecues. We've even received a Yuri's Night greeting from the International Space Station!

If you're attending the Cambridge Science Festival, you can join the Student Astronomers of Harvard-Radcliffe for food, stellar observations, and trivia at Yuri's Night this Friday, April 12. Read more about the "STAHR Party" and RSVP on their Facebook event. If you won't be able to make it, it's not too late to start your own Yuri's Night party--registration on the Yuri's Night website is quick and free.

Yuri's Night Bay Area at NASA Ames 2007

Come on and Rock The Planet!