News round-up, 1 May 2009

2 May 2009

Another day, another dollar. Another Friday, another weekly IYA2009 news round-up!

The Belfast Telegraph has a feel-good story about pupils in Northern Ireland participating in a science project. Called "Stargazers", it's been designed by Newspapers in Education at the Belfast Telegraph for Key Stage 2 pupils to celebrate IYA2009. Participating classes receive workbooks with fun astronomy activities, and there are certificates for those who complete the project. Schools even get a digital camera for every 25 pupils they register. I'll find 25 kids and sign them up if there's a Nikon D700 in it for me. Still on the theme of astronomy for children, Examiner.com has listed seven websites designed to inspire future stargazers.

National Astronomy Day is the focus of the Cleveland Museum of Natural History on 2 May, says The Morning Journal. There will be presentations and demonstrations, while kiddies can make sundials and design their own constellations. Also mentioned are planetarium shows most weekends at the Sidney Frohman Planetarium, at 2130 Hayes Avenue, Sandusky.

Dundas Star News wins the award for shortest mention of an IYA2009 event. Apparently the Hamilton Amateur Astronomers will be holding public observing events on 2 May, in the Lakeland Community Centre on Van Wagners Beach Road. That's in Canada, incidentally. The University of Texas at San Antonio dedicated more words and a generic photo to their article about the third instalment of the "Friday Nights, Celestial Lights" series. There will be the usual night-sky observations, but people are more likely to be lured in by the promise of seeing "the campy sci-fi film, ‘Queen of Outer Space,' starring Zsa Zsa Gabor." IMPORTANT: "Seating will be available on a first-come, first-served basis."

TD Monthly has recommended Celestron's FirstScope as an ideal entry-level astronomical telescope. These things are positively nifty, and they're an official product of IYA2009, so it's good all round.

Do you like astronomy? Do you like pots? Would you like to combine these interests? Obviously the answer is yes, so it's fortunate that NWI.com's Guide to Local Potpourri listings is on hand to help. This United States-based activities listing has an impressive variety of events. Let's highlight "Watch the Stars" in which Valparaiso University Observatory staff allow the public to use computer-controlled telescopes to observe the stars, and "Satellites and Space Probes", a presentation by the Merriville Community Planetarium. After attending those, why not go along to the "Plant Sale" in Hobart, pick up some ceramic pots, and decorate them with astronomically-themed images...

...which certainly isn't as strange as the ninth edition of the International Contest of Chocolate Figures choosing astronomy as its theme. Pasterleria.com has the details in Spanish, Astronomy2009.org has a summary in English. Never before has the Solar System looked so delicious.

Lee Pullen
IYA2009 Staff Writer

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