IYA2009 Update

6 February 2009

Dear Friends,

Some short updates from the past days:

International Astronomical Union Symposium 260: "The Rôle of Astronomy in Society and Culture" took place in Paris, at UNESCO HQ, with a top-level scientific programme: http://iaus260.obspm.fr/

History was officially announced as exclusive international television partner of the IYA2009. This partnership aligns with the IYA2009 Secretariat's objectives of increasing the visibility and maximizing the reach of the IYA2009, reaching large audiences and key markets around the world: http://www.astronomy2009.org/news/updates/135/

First IYA2009 Patron: Mani Bhaumik is the first IYA2009 Patron and we are proud to have him as a dedicated supporter of IYA2009's global activities: http://www.astronomy2009.org/organisation/structure/partners/patron/

IYA2009 - initiative of interest in Paraguay: IYA2009 has been declared initiative of interest by the Paraguayan Ministers of Tourism and Culture: http://www.astronomia2009.org.py/noticias_completa.php?samuel=20

IYA2009 Songs: New IYA2009-themed songs are now available to download, ranging from the official anthem used in the trailer, to the opening of the 365 Days of Astronomy podcasts: http://www.astronomy2009.org/resources/multimedia/audio/

Hubble's Next Discovery - You Decide: People around the world can vote to select the next object the Hubble Space Telescope will view. Choose from a list of objects Hubble has never observed before and enter a drawing for one of 100 new Hubble pictures of the winning object. The winning image will be released during the 100 Hours of Astronomy: http://youdecide.hubblesite.org/

Celebrating the 1919 Eclipse at Príncipe: New website for the IYA2009 Special Project: http://www.1919eclipse.org/

IYA2009 News Round-up: http://www.astronomy2009.org/news/updates/144/

Spanish IYA2009 Promotional Spot: Check the Spanish IYA2009 Promotional Spot in 5 different languages: http://www.astronomia2009.cat/bin/view/Main/PaginaVideosENG In English: http://www.astronomy2009.org/resources/multimedia/videos/detail/iya2009_es_video/

IYA2009 Official Products:

The Cosmic Detective: The IYA2009 fully endorses this book for people of all ages and believes it will help the general public to realise the wondrous knowledge about our Universe and our place in it. To reach the widest possible audience, the Secretariat encourages all SPoCs to seek publishers for The Cosmic Detective in their home countries. http://www.astronomy2009.org/resources/products/cosmicdetective/
Redshift 7 Premium: The Planetarium software which leaves nothing to wish for! You, as an IYA2009 stakeholder now have the opportunity to buy this software with 50% discount. http://www.astronomy2009.org/resources/products/redshift/
Eyes on the Skies DVD: The second edition of the International Astronomical Union's movie celebrating the 400th anniversary of the telescope is in the making, with even more language subtitle and narrations. http://www.astronomy2009.org/resources/products/eyes/
The 400 Years of the Telescope: an exciting multimedia celebration of Galileo's first telescopic observations of the cosmos, and the resulting journey of discovery for humanity. High definition documentary, 400 Years of the Telescope, to be distributed internationally for broadcast in 2009. A Cinematic version will be available for theatre and IMAX theatres. http://www.astronomy2009.org/resources/products/400years/
SkyScout: Celestron's Personal Planetarium. About the size of a camcorder and weighing less than 300 grams, the SkyScout utilizes a consumer-friendly "point and shoot" GPS technology that enables stargazers to instantly identify and/or locate over 50,000 celestial objects in the sky with the press of a button and listen to commentary on the object and its history. Special prices just for you, don't miss this opportunity! http://www.astronomy2009.org/resources/products/skyscout/
Star Walk: Explore the Universe with Star Walk, the star gazing software for iPhone. http://www.astronomy2009.org/resources/products/starwalk/