IYA2009 Update

18 September 2009

Galilean Nights Press Release: Global Astronomy Event Invites the World to Discover Our Universe

Wind the clock back 400 years and follow in the footsteps of a giant - experience now just what first amazed Galileo in 1609! The latest Cornerstone project of the International Year of Astronomy 2009 (IYA2009), Galilean Nights, will see thousands of public observing events around the world replicating Galileo's observations and bringing what he saw 400 years ago to the public of today. From 22 to 24 October, amateur and professional astronomers, science centres, schools and all interested groups are invited to be part of the Galilean Nights project and to register their events on the project website www.galileannights.org. We can all make this a worldwide success. Read the release in its entirety: http://www.astronomy2009.org/news/pressreleases/detail/iya0915/

Discover our Universe with ESO's GIGAGALAXY ZOOM
The first of three images of ESO's GigaGalaxy Zoom project - a new magnificent 800-million-pixel panorama of the entire sky as seen from ESO's observing sites in Chile - has just been released online: http://www.gigagalaxyzoom.org/

Official IYA2009 comic, "The Lives of Galileo", goes from strength to strength
Everybody is familiar with the name of Galileo. But what do we know about him? Artist and author Fiami decided to answer this question in an accessible way by creating a well-illustrated and factually accurate comic providing a tour through the history of astronomy across Babylon, Alexandria, Kusumapura, Venice, Greenwich, and a classroom in 2009. Read about his recent successes: http://www.astronomy2009.org/news/updates/460/

Visit the world's best stargazing destinations for IYA2009
The best locations for astronomy have been outlined by the Matador Network, the largest independent travel magazine on the web. Boasting 800,000 unique visitors per month and more than 7000 Twitter followers, Matador is very popular among travellers. See the full article here: http://matadortrips.com/worlds-best-stargazing-destinations/

StarWalk iPhone application reviewed by The iPhone Blog
News, help, how-to, and review website The iPhone Blog has posted an in-depth evaluation of official IYA2009 product StarWalk. Writer Matt Sawyers goes into great detail about the mobile stargazing software, taking careful note of the well-designed user interface, search functions, and special features for 3GS users. The final score awarded is a very impressive 4.5 stars out of five. Read the review here: http://www.theiphoneblog.com/2009/09/06/app-review-star-walk-iphone/

Telescope amnesty beats the weather to attract an eager audience
The Michiana Astronomical Society from Indiana, U.S.A, realised that many people in their community possessed telescopes but did not know how to use them. In support of IYA2009's aim to make the Universe accessible to all, they decided to take action. The idea, recently put into action, was to run an all-day drop-in event where anyone could bring their underused telescopes, learn how to use them, and, if necessary, have them repaired by expert volunteers. The story is available online: http://www.astronomy2009.org/news/updates/459/

Author Bob Crelin promotes IYA2009 on US TV
Eyewitness News 3 on WFSB has made available online an interview with IYA2009 supporter and author Bob Crelin. During this, Bob talks about IYA2009 and his educational book, "Faces of the Moon".
View the video here: http://www.wfsb.com/video/20264638/index.html
Visit Bob's website here: http://www.bobcrelin.com/

TWAN Update
Read all about the latest project news: http://www.astronomy2009.org/news/updates/457/

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