IYA2009 News Round-up

5 June 2009

Congratulations to Australian astronomy professor Jeremy Mould and his colleagues, who have won the 2009 Gruber Prize for Cosmology. News.com.au has the full story, reporting that the award recognises work done for definitively measuring the Hubble constant, which explains the Universe's expansion. Jeremy Mould, Wendy Freeman, and Robert Kennicutt share a big pot of cash: around 350,000 Euros. Lend us a fiver, guys?

Regular readers of the news round-ups (there must be some, surely?) may remember last week's story about the UK's Society for Popular Astronomy donating telescopes. Their good work has been continuing at pace says Chronicle Live, as Newcastle Church High School has been presented with a telescope to celebrate IYA2009. The school even started its own astronomy club, where pupils can achieve certificates to show their dedication to the science. Anna Richardson, 11, from the fabulously-named town Seaton Sluice, says: "Ever since I looked through my dad's telescope and saw Saturn when I was four I have been especially interested in learning more about astronomy." 2009 is *your* year, Anna!

To Science Daily now, who have a fascinating story about an IYA2009 Special Project called Celebrating the 1919 Eclipse at Príncipe. The article begins, "In 1919, the Royal Astronomical Society (RAS) launched an expedition to the West African island of Príncipe, to observe a total solar eclipse and prove or disprove Einstein's General Theory of Relativity. Now, in a new RAS-funded expedition for the International Year of Astronomy (IYA 2009), scientists are back." The history of the exhibition and recent celebration are fascinating, and has even been deemed worthy of an article on the IYA2009 site.

BREAKING NEWS from The Shields Gazette. This year's Face of 2009 and Search For A Catwalk Star finalists (based in the UK) have been announced! And YES it's relevant to this news round-up, because the theme is... you guessed it, IYA2009. Although after watching the accompanying video, it must be said that the theme is not evident. Says the article, "Out of This World is on at the Customs House, in South Shields, on July 13 and 14, when all the models will hit the runway in a bid to impress model scouts and scoop the coveted title of Face of 2009." Do they need someone from IYA2009 to be a judge? Maybe..?

Time for some shorter stories that have been in the media this week. Herladsun.com.au has a slightly bizarre tale about an astronomy-themed poetry session initially inspired by a 15 year-old finding the words "Gutterpirates, ahoy" scrawled in a toilet cubicle, and being "overcome by the images the words evoked". Seriously. CNW Group has been promoting an upcoming Canadian festival in Montreal, which boasts star-finding workshops and astronomy presentations. Also in Canada, KBS Radio says that an event hosted by the Kootenay Association for Science & Technology will be showcasing the stars and Solar System. Project coordinator Terry VanHorn says "2009 is the year of astronomy", so it must be true,

Ok, that's your lot. See you next week!

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