IYA2009 Updates
Communicating Astronomy with the Public 2010 Programme announced
15 February 2010
The "Communicating Astronomy with the Public 2010" (CAP2010) conference will take place in Cape Town, South Africa, from 15 to 19 March, 2010. Following the previous conferences in this series, it aims to address the modern challenges in astronomy communication through a global perspective. Major themes of CAP2010 will be the outcome and legacy of IYA2009 as well as techniques for how to make public astronomical knowledge global and accessible to everyone across national, language, political, social and cultural borders and to those with impairment limitations.
Now the Programme has been released, outlining the talks which will occur each day. These include summaries of various IYA2009 Cornerstones, national reports, and how to maintain the momentum raised during 2009 far into the future.
View the programme here: http://www.communicatingastronomy.org/cap2010/programme.html
Bingo! Astronomy game cards available to download
14 February 2010
Astronomy supporters in Costa Rica are distributing "Stellar Bingo" as an educational resource that will reach four countries (Costa Rica, Nicaragua, Panama and the Dominican Republic) printed on cereal boxes and posted on the web as digital images with free access.
This Bingo set includes four playing cards that can be recombined to produce 28 unique cards and 48 calling cards. These include a small amount of text on each subject.
The Bingo set was designed to portrait five areas of astronomy: men and women in the history of astronomy, the Solar System, deep sky objects, zodiacal constellations, and space exploration landmarks. Teachers and parents have been very appreciative of this resource.
The Bingo Estelar (Stellar Bingo) is also available to download from the web. You can find it here: http://www.cientec.or.cr/mhonarc/boletincientec/doc/msg00804.shtml
Concert and film will give a new perspective on the heavens
14 February 2010
The event "Globe of Science and Innovation at CERN" has been scheduled for April 2010. Combining music and video footage, it will tell the story of a philosopher being killed because of ideas derived from logic, and the dawn of modern science when new discoveries still seemed like magic.
For more information, please visit: http://www.makrokosmos.eu/
Echoes of Apollo: a worldwide Moon Bounce event
13 February 2010
A worldwide Moon Bounce event, Echoes of Apollo (EOA), is set up for 16, 17 and 18 April 2010. This exciting expedition to the Arecibo Radio Telescope will also feature large Earth-Moon-Earth dishes, including those at MIT, Dwingeloo Holland, Chur Switzerland, possibly Goldstone/Apple Valley, Morehead State, and PARI, (Pisgah Astronomic Research Institute), in N. Carolina, along with many other amateur stations around the world. Science outreach is a key objective of EOA, and there will be opportunities for schools to be involved.
A note from the organisers: "If by any chance you have EME experience, and a complete EME Expedition 1296 capable station, get in touch. There may be an opportunity to join the Expedition, bringing your 1296 station to Arecibo. The DXpedition team will stay at Arecibo in advance of the FRI SAT SUN operating days, probably starting the prior Monday, staying on site in Research Staff Quarters."
For more information, please visit: http://echoesofapollo.com/moon-bounce/
2010 Tanglewood Parade to feature astronomy events
13 February 2010
As part of the Tanglewood on Parade activities on 3 August 2010, special guest Dr. Donald Lubowich, from Hofstra University’s Astronomy Outreach Program, will offer stargazing for adults and children with telescope observations of the Sun, Moon, Jupiter, star clusters, and nebulae. There will also be exhibits on the science of music, the sounds of the Sun, and the musical compositions of Galileo’s father.
Mike Francis, a Galileo impersonator, will also be there. Dr. Lubowich will be performing acoustics demonstrations, and explaining the Doppler effect with a hand-held radar gun.
For more information about the 2010 Tanglewood Season, please visit: http://www.bso.org/bso/index.jsp?id=bcat5240070
Innovative theatre linked to telescopes projects astronomical images
13 February 2010
Swift progress is being made with the new "Joshua Tree Astronomy Theater" in Joshua Tree, California. Telescopes will be connected with video cameras which send images to high projection equipment to provide near-live images of deep sky objects onto six projection screens that will measure 9 feet tall by 12 feet wide. This method will show the night sky to large crowds and bring images to people in a way that has never before been possible.
The first two of the six screens are being finished now, with the full setup following shortly after. On 6-9 May 2010 the 2nd annual Joshua Tree Astronomy Festival will be held at the new site. Hopes are high for great skies and great astronomy. Everyone is invited to come and join in and enjoy the stars.
For more information, please visit: http://www.scdva.org/
IYA2009 Updates
12 February 2010
The Moons of Jupiter: a new play about Galileo and his family
To help bridge between the many science lectures and star parties on campus with the broader aspects of Galileo’s life and work, Canada Research Chair Prof. Sara Ellison (University of Victoria Physics and Astronomy) was exploring the presentation of a play about Galileo during IYA2009. After reviewing the existing plays, Professor of Theater History and playwright Jennifer Wise became inspired to write The Moons of Jupiter. http://www.astronomy2009.org/news/updates/795/
Galileoscopes voted Gear of the Year
Popular website and IYA2009 Official Forums, Cloudy Nights Telescope Reviews has announced that its readers have decided Galileoscopes deserve to be one of their "Gear of the Year" choices. http://www.astronomy2009.org/news/updates/794/
Children's astronomy DVD creates a world of music and beautiful imagery
A DVD entitled "MAMECO, capable tout seul! d'être dans la Lune..." has been produced to educate and entertain young children about astronomy. This DVD was born from the interaction between a group of singers for children called Mamemo and a group of astrophysicists. Mamemo created a world full of poetry where the sky, Sun, and stars are often mentioned in their songs and illustrated in their drawings. http://www.astronomy2009.org/news/updates/787/
Asia-Pacific Regional Space Agency Forum held in Bangkok, Thailand
The 16th Session of Asia-Pacific Regional Space Agency Forum (APRSAF-16) www.aprsaf.org was held in Sofitel Centara Grand Hotel in Bangkok on 26-29 January, 2009, which was jointly organised by Ministry of Science and Technology (MOST), Geo-Informatics and Space Technology Development Agency (GISTDA) of Thailand and Japan Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT) and Japan Space Exploration Agency (JAXA). It was attended by 310 Participants from 26 Countries and 10 Regional and International Organisations. The Theme of the APRSAF-16 was “Space Applications: Contributions towards Human Safety and Security“. http://www.astronomy2009.org/news/updates/786/
Special Spanish IYA2009 TV programme
The Spanish TV station TVE has produced a special 20-minute programme about IYA2009 in Spain: http://www.astronomia2009.es/Noticias_AIA-IYA2009/La_Aventura_de_la_Astronomia.html
Sport and astronomy meet for unprecedented tour of the Solar System
On Sunday October 11th 2009, a unique event called “The Solar System Tour” saw sport and astronomy enthusiasts run together towards the finishing line in Catania, Italy. http://www.astronomy2009.org/news/updates/784/
US IYA2009 newsletter
http://www.astronomy2009.org/news/updates/782/
European Association for Astronomy Education launches its new website
http://www.eaae-astronomy.org/
Media in Education newsletter
The latest edition of the Media in Education newsletter is available for download. This newsletter is aimed at anyone interested in developments, best practices, news and resources related to the use of media in education and is linked to the MEDEA Awards. http://www.medea-awards.com/files/publications/MEDEA_newsletter_201002.pdf
Tafelmusik back from tour
Tafelmusik Baroque Orchestra has taken The Galileo Project: Music of the Spheres on a four-city tour of California and Missouri, January 30 to February 6. Stops on the tour include Kansas City, Santa Barbara, San Diego and Los Angeles. The 2010 U.S. tour follows prestigious debuts at New York’s Carnegie Hall in February 2009, the inaugural Reate Festival in Italy last summer, and an October appearance at the Cervantino International Festival in Mexico. http://www.astronomy2009.org/news/updates/779/
Astronomy enthusiast creates IYA2009 coin website
IYA2009 supporter Prasanna Deshapriya ("Desh"), an amateur astronomer based in Colombo, Sri Lanka, has been fascinated by coins since his childhood. He was browsing astronomy2009.org and saw a note from the IYA2009 Secretariat, calling for coin-experts to assist in cataloguing the many astronomy-related coins that have been released during the year. Seeing an opportunity to combine his interests, Desh decided to undertake this task and create a comprehensive website containing information on the year's IYA2009-inspired coins. http://www.astronomy2009.org/news/updates/778/
Soutpansberg Astronomy Club releases special commemorative publication
The Soutpansberg Astronomy Club (est. 2002) has been involved in astronomy in Limpopo Province, South Africa for a number of years. Based in the town of Louis Trichardt 100 km south of the Zimbabwe / South African border in the northern Limpopo Province, the Club has enjoyed substantial growth since inception. http://www.astronomy2009.org/news/updates/777/
International Sidewalk Astronomy Night set for 20 March 2010
Calling all fun-loving, cosmic-watching, telescope touting, global astronomers! Mark your calendars for the 4th Annual International Sidewalk Astronomy Night - ISAN, on Saturday March 20 2010. Sidewalk groups, astronomy clubs, planetariums, space centres and observatories are gearing up to celebrate with our fellow brother and sister astronomers world-wide. http://www.astronomy2009.org/news/updates/776/
International Epsilon Aurigae Campaign 2009 - 2011
Every 27.1 years the very mysterious variable star epsilon Aurigae undergoes an eclipse that lasts nearly 2 years. This is an easily found 3rd magnitude star visible from the northern hemisphere. It is one of a trio of stars that form a small triangle called "The Kids" just southwest of Capella. While there is no shortage of theories, the precise nature of the star system remains a mystery. During the last eclipse 1982.1984 a Campaign was formed to observe and try to figure out answers. http://www.astronomy2009.org/news/updates/775/
TWAN newsletter
http://www.astronomy2009.org/news/updates/774/
The Mind of the Universe lecture series videos released
The Mind of the Universe is an ambitious project developed under a Science in Society Fellowship from the UK Science and Technology Facilities Council granted to Dr Francisco Diego. It consists of public/school lectures and teacher workshops/resources embracing topics like Origin and development of the Universe, the mystery behind the nature of the dark universe, the formation of stars and planets, space exploration and the possibility of alien life. http://www.astronomy2009.org/news/updates/770/
The Moons of Jupiter : a new play about Galileo and his family
12 February 2010
A surprising outcome and a powerful new legacy from IYA2009 arose from a 2008 enquiry to the University of Victoria (Canada) Theatre Department. To help bridge between the many science lectures and star parties on campus with the broader aspects of Galileo’s life and work, Canada Research Chair Prof. Sara Ellison (University of Victoria Physics and Astronomy) was exploring the presentation of a play about Galileo during IYA2009. After reviewing the existing plays, Professor of Theater History and playwright Jennifer Wise became inspired to write The Moons of Jupiter. A three-week workshop process with students in the Department of Theatre culminated in the first staged reading on 25-28 November. An article by Adrienne Holierhoek in the university newspaper beautifully describes the play and its origins, including these passages:
“In her play The Moons of Jupiter, Wise portrays the family dynamics between Galileo and his children, while focusing on the lives of his two daughters in seclusion in the San Matteo Convent in Florence. Beginning with a comet that traverses the night sky in 1618, the play spans the years of Galileo’s altercations with Rome and his supposed imprisonment there. 'The members of his family revolve around Galileo like planets in a solar system, and it is through their stories that we can begin to understand this philosopher and astronomer’s entire life, not just his science,' says Wise. 'I discovered, through the process of allowing these marginalized historical figures to speak, that Galileo’s family drama provides a surprisingly powerful tool for understanding his public life.'”
One of Prof. Wise’s sources of inspiration was Dava Sobel’s book, Galileo’s Daughter. Prof. Ellison served as science advisor thus helping the author ensure that her story accurately portrays the science serving as the backdrop to the complex social and emotional elements. With the feedback from the workshop process, Prof. Wise is now readying her play for full production.
For more on this IYA2009 legacy, please see: http://ring.uvic.ca/09dec03/galileo.html
Photo courtesy of the University of Victoria.
Galileoscopes voted Gear of the Year
12 February 2010
Popular website and IYA2009 Official Forums, Cloudy Nights Telescope Reviews has announced that its readers have decided Galileoscopes deserve to be one of their "Gear of the Year" choices.
Says Cloudy Nights: "Proving that our members have an eye towards outreach, you voted in the IYA2009 cornerstone Project as one of the best products of the year as well. This low cost ($30) is designed to let educators offer students a glimpse of the same celestial wonders that Galileo first glimpsed 400 years ago. This kit allows for no tools construction of a 50mm 500fl telescope that comes with a 20mm eyepiece and a2x barlow. Further, the GalileoScope accepts any 1.25” eyepiece so when your young astronomer is ready to upgrade things a little bit, there's a whole expansion route to be considered. Better yet, the telescope kit comes with educational materials for those interested in education outreach."
Read more here: http://www.cloudynights.com/item.php?item_id=2393
Children's astronomy DVD creates a world of music and beautiful imagery
12 February 2010
A DVD entitled "MAMECO, capable tout seul! d'être dans la Lune..." has been produced to educate and entertain young children about astronomy. This DVD was born from the interaction between a group of singers for children called Mamemo and a group of astrophysicists. Mamemo created a world full of poetry where the sky, Sun, and stars are often mentioned in their songs and illustrated in their drawings. They are not only singers, but also broadcast their cartoons in Belgium and also in more than 40 countries. Their typical audience spans the ages 3-10 years.
Given the international broadcasting of their work, the modernity and poetry of their creations, and of course their recurrent references to astronomical objects, a project has been attempted in the framework of the "Universe Awareness" IYA2009 Cornerstone.
10 songs were selected, along with their accompanying cartoon. Astrophysicists from the Université libre de Bruxelles, plus one teacher, devised the "scientific content" of the 32-page booklet that comes with the DVD.
Thanks to the financial support of the Lion's Club (Bruxelles-Sablon), 1500 DVDs have been produced and will be distributed for free to young disadvantaged children (3-8 years) in the coming days.
For more information, please visit: http://www.mamemo.com/
Search IYA2009 Updates
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Organisational Nodes: 40
Organisational Associates:33
National Websites: 111
Cornerstone Projects: 12
Special Task Groups: 11
Special Projects:16
Official Products:8
Media Partners:22
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