IGNIS July 2015 | Page 6

The International Year of Light Official Trailer embed this video https://youtu.be/-R8jJ0wPM2Q To find out more about this global event visit: 2015 International Year of Light for events in the UK http://light2015.org.uk and an additional website focusing on events in Scotland is available at http://www.light2015.scot So what does it involve? Just about anything! Social Media is being used to keep people informed about latest happenings. The official blog at http://light2015blog.org lists events for forthcoming weeks and discusses the latest on light, from lasers on the red planet to losing the night sky. There are regular updates on facebook https://www.facebook.com/IYLight2015 and twitter https://twitter.com/iyl2015 Sadly the Instagram site has nothing on it at time of writing. Maybe if you’re on Instagram and take part in something you might like to post about it. https://instagram.com/iyl2015 Photo: NASA From lectures on photonics and visits to science laboratories to light art exhibitions and the Blackpool Illuminations, there are plenty of ways to get involved in celebrating light this year. 2015 is the UNESCO International Year of Light and Light Based Technologies, with events and activities taking place all over the world. The Year of Light has a number of aims, including reducing light pollution and energy waste, and using light technologies to improve the quality of life in the developed and developing world. The year has been timed to coincide with the anniversaries of a series of milestones in the history of the science of light. The Open University has produced a short video to celebrate these achievements at https://youtu.be/8U– GEa4bM1M Spiral Galaxy, Messier 51, the “Whirlpool”, 30 million light years away 6 IGNIS