ISLAMABAD   -   To commemorate the International Moon Day falling on July 20, the Space and Atmosphere Research Commission (SUPARCO) has announced a Lunar Astrophotography Contest across the country. 

According to an official of SUPARCO, the contest will be held under the theme “Illuminating the Shadows” and astrography enthusiasts from any part of the country can submit geotagged images with their name and location as well as the time when the picture was taken to become part of the contest.

The contest is being arranged by the Space Education and Awareness Drive (SEAD) which is an initiative under the ambit of SUPARCO’s Space Education and Awareness Programme to enthuse students and the public through activities, competitions and space news.

As per the rules, the official conveyed, the participants retain the ownership of their images but grant the competition organizers the right to use the images for promotional purposes.

Any image found to be plagiarized, heavily edited or not taken in July 2024 will be disqualified.

The participants must adhere to ethical guidelines in photography and avoid any harmful or intrusive methods to capture their images, the official said.

According to SUPARCO, International Moon Day is an annual event, held for the general public and celebrated across the world like in Pakistan. 

International Moon Day is a good opportunity to educate the public, and promote and raise awareness on the status and prospects for humanity. The major goals behind celebrating this day are sustainable moon exploration and utilization of the moon as well as highlighting the need to collaborate and regulate activities on and around the moon.

This celebration fosters increased global cooperation between stakeholders all around the world, as well as promote participation for future generations, the SUPARCO said.

International Moon Day marks the anniversary of the first landing by humans on the Moon as part of the Apollo 11 lunar mission. 

The General Assembly declared International Moon Day, a United Nations-designated international day to be observed annually on 20 July, in its resolution on “International cooperation in the peaceful uses of outer space” in 2021.

According to the United Nations, for thousands of years, human civilizations have looked up to the sky pondering the origin and mysteries of the Moon-our only natural satellite. 

Ground-based observations enabled by the invention of the first telescopes opened a new chapter in our understanding of our celestial companion.

With the birth of space activities, the moon became the ultimate destination of countless missions, including crewed flights that brought the first human footprints to another place in the universe.

As moon exploration efforts continue taking shape with ambitious plans, this global celebration will serve not only as a reminder of success in the past but as an annual testimony to future endeavours.