As part of the World Space Week celebrations, the Institute of Astrophysics of FORTH, in collaboration with the Astronomy Club of the Students of the University of Crete and the science communication group Periastron, organized an open event (in Greek) at FORTH's Science and Cultural Center, located at the corner of Averof and Zografou Streets in Heraklion, Crete. The event took place on Monday, October 20, 2025, from 18:00 to 21:00 and was open to participants aged 6 and above.

In addition, books published by Crete University Press were distributed through a lottery.

About World Space Week:
World Space Week is an international celebration of science and technology, highlighting their role in advancing knowledge and improving the quality of life for people around the world.

The United Nations General Assembly announced in 1999 that World Space Week would be celebrated annually, from October 4 to 10. These dates commemorate two events:

1. October 4, 1957: Launch of the first artificial Earth satellite, Sputnik 1, paving the way for space exploration
2. October 10, 1967: Signing of the Treaty on Principles Governing the Activities of States in the Exploration and Use of Outer Space, including the Moon and Other Celestial Bodies

World Space Week events are held around the world in schools, universities, science centers, planetariums, museums, companies, etc. In 2024, more than 15,000 events took place worldwide in 90 countries.

More information about this celebration can be found on the official WSW website https://www.worldspaceweek.org/

For any clarification, please contact the Astronomy Outreach Officer of the Institute of Astrophysics, Panagiotis Evangelopoulos, telephone 2810394237 and pevangelop@ia.forth.gr.

The detailed program of the event:

18:00 to 20:00

• Space bingo by the Astronomy Student Group of the University of Crete (forecourt)
• "The day I painted the sky", Painting for children aged 6-9 (Ground floor)

18:00-18:45 and 19:00-19:45

Workshop by the Periastron team: "Astronaut's Academy" (1st floor lecture hall)

20:15-21:00

Lecture: "Our Life in Space & Its Impact on Earth", Adrianos Golemis, MD Lead Flight Surgeon at MEDES for ESA, (1st floor lecture hall)