IYA2009 Update

17 April 2009

 

Seventh annual Dark-Sky Week celebration
The International Dark-Sky Week will occur from April 20 to April 26, 2009. This year the IYA2009 Dark Skies Awareness Global Cornerstone Project is endorsing the event on a global level as the International Dark Skies Week (IDSW), part of IYA2009's dark skies preservation efforts. If you would like to participate in the International Dark-Sky Week, then visit: http://www.darkskiesawareness.org/idsw.php

IYA2009 welcomes new Nodes
A big "hello!" to the Fiji Islands, Grenada and Zambia. To see the full list of National Nodes, visit: http://www.astronomy2009.org/organisation/nodes/national/list/

Entries welcome to the MEDEA awards 2009
The call for entries to the MEDEA Awards 2009 has been officially announced. The aim of this competition is to encourage innovation and good practice in the use of media and video in education. Visit this website for more information: http://www.medea-awards.com/

IYA2009 Opening Ceremony - Southern Stars
The IYA2009 Opening Ceremony has been featured in Southern Stars, the Journal of the Royal Astronomical Society of New Zealand. Read the report here: http://www.astronomy2009.org/resources/documents/detail/IYA2009_oc_southernstars/

BLAST! discovers hidden universe!
The BLAST experiment was featured last week on the front page of the Philadelphia Inquirer. And on BBC News. In fact the BLAST scientists have been doing press in print, radio and TV from Vancouver to Toronto to Philadelphia to London. That's because the first science results are published in this week's Nature Magazine and are causing a sensation. In essence BLAST has revealed a "hidden Universe." Fifteen years ago, scientists observed that half the starlight in the Universe is in the invisible infra-red spectrum, but its source was unknown. Until now. BLAST has discovered that this light originates from previously hidden, dust-enshrouded galaxies. To learn more about BLAST!, check out the official site: http://www.blastthemovie.com/

TWAN update
The World At Night project has been busy building bridges through the sky. To find out the latest developments, click: http://www.astronomy2009.org/news/updates/239/

 

Organisational Associates:
ESO AAS INSU CAS STRW NOVA STFC SCNAT SPA NRC MEC CNES DLR ESA JAXA NAOJ APL PS ESF ISRO ICRAN NLSI NOT U Cluster NASAEAS ASI NRAO CEA  KASI EAE SPA AUI CROSCI


The International Year of Astronomy 2009 is endorsed by the United Nations and the International Council of Science.