IYA2009 News Round-up

25 September 2009

Just how much IYA2009 news is there in the world, anyway? The answer would appear to be "lots".

New York Times blog TierneyLab has an astronomy quiz featuring some stunning images from all reaches of the cosmos. The article gets a bonus point for pointing readers in the direction of From Earth To The Universe.

There's an excellent column on the San Saba News and Star ("pecan capital of the world"). Amateur astronomer Paul Derrick brings together important characters from the history of astronomy, such as Copernicus, Kepler, and of course Galileo, into a narrative that neatly explains how their work all combined. The importance of IYA2009 is highlighted (nice one, Paul), and to finish there are some things for hobby stargazers to look out for. All in all, an excellent contribution.

Hindustantimes has an equally good albeit slightly "heavier" article that begins, "Of the many issues that torment the human mind, like the refusal to accept the inevitability of death, is the question if life, like us on Earth, exists anywhere else in this colossal cosmos." That issue tormented me yesterday, but I'm taking a break from it today. The article says that IYA2009 means that "the search has assumed higher levels of endeavour." Yeeeah! The whole piece is well worth a read. Some people obviously think it's a bit controversial, so look out for the "personal views" disclaimer at the end.

To The Atlantic, who have a fascinating story (and video!) about a pair of students who used $148 to send a camera high into the sky, photographing the curvature of the Earth. Says the article, "The inventive future of the world is clearly still in good hands, as long as there are students taping cameras inside of styrofoam coolers and sending them into the stratosphere." The final paragraph brings it round to IYA2009, and argues that the students' inventive natures would have made Galileo proud.

Here's a quick mention for NAZtoday. The wonderfully-named Jennifer Buzzard has plugged the Flagstaff Science Festival, celebrating IYA2009. The guest speaker is not the first, second, or third, but fourth man to walk on the Moon. STOP PRESS: he'll be giving a PowerPoint presentation! The festival starts on Friday, the same day as this news round-up goes out. Coincidence? I very much doubt it.

It's Night of the Scientists, says astronomy2009.org and, now, Radio Bulgaria. In Bulgaria, Sofia and other major cities in the country like Plovdiv, Russe, Stara Zagora, Varna, Shumen, Yambol, Silistra, Pleven, Haskovo and Dimitrovgrad will be celebrating IYA2009 by opening astronomy institutions to the public. 2009 also marks 30 years since the flight of the first Bulgarian astronaut Georgi Ivanov, so it's a good year for Bulgarians to get into astronomy.

The "FUN" section of 2theadvocate.com has some event listings happening in the Baton Rouge USA (near New Orleans) area this coming week. There's plenty of astronomy to keep the locals engaged with IYA2009, including an observatory lecture, Starry Messenger exhibit, and so-called Science Saturday. Unfortunately, these will be facing stiff competition from the likes of "WOMEN! A WEEKLONG CELEBRATION KICKOFF LUNCHEON", "BAYOU HAYSTACKERS PADDLING CLUB", and "OPENING RECEPTION FOR THE ABRAHAM LINCOLN COMMEMORATIVE QUILTS - A CHALLENGE QUILT SHOW EXHIBIT".

Nothing can top that, so let's not even try. Until next week, remember to check local news sources for stories in your own language. Assuming that language isn't English.

View all Updates