IYA2009 Updates

29 January 2010

She is an Astronomer conference: Celebrating success and seeking solutions

Date: 22 and 23 April 2010

Venue: Royal Astronomical Society, Burlington House, Piccadilly, London The conference will be opened by Prof Jocelyn Bell Burnell. There will be talks on pioneering women in astronomy, talks by female scientists on their work and careers, and talks on gender issues, work-life balance, careers, mentoring, psychology/culture, statistics. One outcome of the meeting will be a list of suggestions for supporting and encouraging women in astronomy in support of the IAU Resolution passed at the IAU General Assembly in August 2009. Presentations (talks and posters) will be published on the She is an Astronomer website. If you would like to attend the meeting, please register on-line, indicating if you would like to give a talk or present a poster. Space is limited, so please register early. The deadline for registration is 8 March. More information: http://www.sheisanastronomer.org/index.php/Conference

Global Astronomy Month April 2010: One People, One Sky

Now that the International Year of Astronomy 2009 (IYA2009) is coming to an end, what is there to look forward to for astronomy enthusiasts? Even more events building on the year's great success! 100 Hours of Astronomy cornerstone project, co-organized by AWB, brought out unprecedented numbers of enthusiasts to share their passion for astronomy with the biggest crowds ever. AWB is now planning Global Astronomy Month for April 2010 as the follow-up to 100 Hours of Astronomy.

All information will be posted on the Global Astronomy Month web site as the excitement builds: http://www.gam-awb.org/

Gathering during Annular Solar Eclipse

Annular solar eclipse on January 15th gathered members of StarPeace from Sri Lanka, Maldives, India, Nepal, Pakistan, Tanzania and United Arab Emirates. More information: http://www.starpeace.org/En/News/58/Default.aspx

Beauty Without Borders has started!

Beauty Without Borders (BWB) is a project of Astronomers Without Borders and Sidewalk Astronomers that will take place around the world, from 25 to 30 January 2010. Join this event from anywhere in the world, even if you are going to watch from your deck or backyard. Use binoculars if you haven’t got a telescope. Get a group of friends, family or the local astronomy club together, and go to the street and enjoy the beautiful views of the Red Planet. Through BWB, we hope to share the beauty of the celestial events. More information here: http://beautywithoutborders-mars2010.blogspot.com/

Vote for Israeli IYA2009 stamp in an online poll

The Israeli post office is holding a poll to decide on 2009's most beautiful stamp. Members of the public have the opportunity to view the candidate stamps and vote for their favourite. An IYA2009 stamp is among the contenders. Voting is open until 20 February 2010. http://www.astronomy2009.org/news/updates/759/

Redshift announces latest improvements

Redshift 7, an IYA2009 official product, is the award-winning and best-selling planetarium-software in the world. Read their latest news here: http://www.astronomy2009.org/news/updates/757/

Astronomers Without Borders Newsletter January 2010

http://www.astronomy2009.org/news/updates/756/

Art exhibit bridges cultures in Australia

Throughout IYA2009 Australia has witnessed an extraordinary celebration of astronomy as inspiration for art and cultural exchange. The latest success story is a project named Ilgarijiri, which means “things belonging to the sky” in the Wajarri Yamatji language of the Murchison region in Western Australia. Astronomy has a strong presence in the area, which is home to the Murchison Radio Astronomy Observatory and a potential location for the future Square Kilometre Array. Astronomy also plays a significant role in the stories and traditions of the indigenous people of Australia. http://www.astronomy2009.org/news/updates/754/

Egypt promotes She is an Astronomer for IYA2009

As a part of IYA2009 activities in Egypt, the Planetarium Science Center in Alexandria organised She is an Astronomer camp in Saint Catherine from 11-14 December 2009. The aim of the camp was to develop the female students' thinking skills and to encourage females to pursue astronomy professionally. The importance of scientific problem solving and team work were highlighted. These values are the cornerstone of building future Egyptian women astronomers and leaders. http://www.astronomy2009.org/news/updates/746/

Dusk of IYA2009 in Iraq: an event to remember

The sky was cloudy and rainy on 31 December 2009, so the Sun was not visible, except for its wonderful memories of past IYA2009 days. There was a solution: using Stellarium Beta 10.0 software to simulate the real Sun setting that day. http://www.astronomy2009.org/news/updates/753/

Over one million people worldwide have seen the movie BLAST!

BLAST! is an IYA2009 Special project. Filmmaker Paul Devlin follows the story of his brother, Mark Devlin PhD, as he leads a tenacious team of scientists hoping to figure out how all the galaxies formed by launching a revolutionary new telescope under a NASA high-altitude balloon. Newly-released ratings show that over one million people have seen the movie, and this number is set to rise significantly in the future. http://www.astronomy2009.org/news/updates/752/

Sri Lankans witness Solar Eclipse

An expedition to Northern Sri Lanka for the Annular Solar Eclipse of 15 January 2010 has been described as an unforgettable experience. The Ring of Fire not only brought amazing views but the sheer joy of being able to travel north after 30 years of war. In addition, an associated outreach programme attracted around 2000 participants. See a blog post about the expedition here: http://thilinaheenatigala.blogspot.com/2010/01/ring-of-fire-unforgettable-experience.html

The World At Night images featured in the Italian media

Photographs from IYA2009 Special project The World At Night have been used in the travel section of Italian newspaper la Republica. The photos are by Iranian IYA2009 supporter Babak Tafreshi. See the feature here: http://viaggi.repubblica.it/multimedia/sotto-il-cielo-dell-iran/22352906/1/1

Bangladesh concludes IYA2009 with an astronomy workshop

Professor Abdul Jabbar, former Head of the Department of Mathematics, Bangladesh University of Engineering & Technology (BUET) was a legendary figure in popularisation of Astronomy in Bangladesh. He wrote about a dozen Books on astronomy which helped younger generations in Bangladesh to learn about this important subject. Professor Abdul Jabbar also was the 1st President of Bangladesh Astronomical Society which was formed in 1984. http://www.astronomy2009.org/news/updates/745/

Jamaica closes IYA2009 with a successful star party

In late December the Astronomical Association of Jamaica (AAJ) decided to run a final star party, taking place at the UWI. Mona Campus on a patio above the Physics Department. The main reason for the meet was to introduce members and friends to the fine qualities of Galileoscopes. The AAJ was given 400 units for distribution to High and Intermediate Schools in Jamaica, and this was a practice run for the training of teachers in the assembly, and care of the telescopes. http://www.astronomy2009.org/news/updates/738/

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