IYA2009 Updates

Musician's Illustrated Tribute to Saturn Arrives on DVD

15 January 2010

Art meets science: A fresh sultry, circular and sweeping piece of music -- called “Anillos” -- perfectly timed with breathtaking images of the planet Saturn and perfect for a large-screen television, is available now on DVD.

Originally, “Anillos” -- which mean rings in Spanish – was commissioned for a meeting of the American Astronomical Society’s Division for Planetary Sciences, and the piece premiered at the group’s annual meeting in October 2008, in Ithaca. It was composed by Roberto Sierra, Cornell professor of music, recently nominated for a 2010 Grammy Award for another composition, “Missa Latina.”

Elizabeth Bilson, retired administrative director for Cornell’s Center for Radiophysics and Space Research, had proposed an original musical piece for the 2008 conference. She had worked with Joe Burns, Cornell’s Irving Porter Church Professor of Engineering and Professor of Astronomy, on the American Museum of Natural History’s exhibit of images from NASA’s Cassini-Huygens mission, and she wondered if those ethereal pictures of Saturn and its rings and moons -- which she described as “sheer aesthetic pleasure” -- might also inspire a work of music.

Bilson floated the idea to composer Sierra, Cornell’s Old Dominion Foundation Professor in the Humanities. “I thought he would laugh at me,” Bilson later confessed. Instead, Sierra took the challenge. With a selection of images from the Cassini mission and essays by 17th-century astronomer and musician Christiaan Huygens as his guide, Sierra composed the 10-minute-long, full-orchestra piece “Anillos.”

The piece on this DVD was recorded at Cornell’s Bailey Hall immediately after its premiere performance. It features Chris Younghoon Kim, Cornell director of orchestras, conducting the Cornell Symphony Orchestra with percussion soloist Tim Feeney, director of percussion ensembles at Cornell. Matthew Hedman, a Cornell research associate in astronomy, created the video sequence that accompanies the music, using images from NASA’s Cassini-Huygens mission to Saturn. The DVD also contains interviews with Sierra and Burns.

A sample of the music may be heard at:

http://www.news.cornell.edu/stories/Jan10/Anillos.html

“Anillos” is available for $15 at Buffalo Street Books, Dewitt Mall, 215 N. Cayuga Street, Ithaca (buffalostreetbooks@hotmail.com, +1 607-273-8246). Also, mail orders are being processed by Elizabeth Bilson at emb9@cornell.edu.

IYA2009 Updates

15 January 2010

*Cosmic Diary Closing Ceremony Live Blog*
http://cosmicdiary.org/closing_ceremony

*A new IYA2009 presentation is available: The International Year of Astronomy 2009 Slide Show.*
The variety of images, location and activities presented in the slides is intended to convey a feeling of the multicultural diversity that characterised IYA2009: http://www.astronomy2009.org/resources/presentations/detail/iya_slideshow/
The IYA2009 Secretariat welcomes more images and videos about all sort of events to be included in the presentation. Please use the following instructions to upload your photos to Flickr: http://www.astronomy2009.org/news/updates/465/.
If this is not possible, please send the image files per email to iya2009@eso.org, provide a link where we can download them or upload them to anonymous FTP: ftp://ftp.eso.org/incoming/iya2009 (you can't see the files but we can - let us know when they are there).
To accompany the slide show, you can play some of the IYA2009 music tracks, which you can find here: http://www.astronomy2009.org/resources/multimedia/audio/viewall/
To play an audio file through the whole presentation, read the following instructions: http://www.pptalchemy.co.uk/keep_playing.html

*IYA2009 is looking for astro-numismatic-enthusiasts*
The IYA2009 Secretariat is looking for someone to help compiling a comprehensive list of numismatic releases during 2009, similar to the analogous list regarding the philatelic releases: http://www.astronomy2009.org/organisation/structure/taskgroups/philately/calendar/. If you are a astro-numismatic-enthusiast, please contact the IYA2009 Secretariat (iya2009@eso.org) and help the project to keep a long lasting legacy.

*Celebrating the fifth anniversary of Huygens’ Titan touchdown*
In the framework of IYA2009, ESA is celebrating the fifth anniversary of Huygens’ Titan touchdown.More information: http://www.titanexploration.net/

*Astronomy Photographer of the Year 2010*
After the huge success of Astronomy Photographer of the Year 2009 the Royal Observatory Greenwich, U.K. have today opened entries to this year’s competition. More information: http://www.nmm.ac.uk/visit/exhibitions/astronomy-photographer-of-the-year

*Cosmos in the Classroom 2010 and Making Connections in Education and Public Outreach: http://www.astronomy2009.org/news/updates/722/

*The World at Night Newsletter: http://www.astronomy2009.org/news/updates/721/

A new IYA2009 presentation is available: The International Year of Astronomy 2009 Slide Show.

15 January 2010

The variety of images, location and activities presented in the slides is intended to convey a feeling of the multicultural diversity that characterised IYA2009: http://www.astronomy2009.org/resources/presentations/detail/iya_slideshow/

The IYA2009 Secretariat welcomes more images and videos about all sort of events to be included in the presentation. Please use the following instructions to upload your photos to Flickr: http://www.astronomy2009.org/news/updates/465/.
If this is not possible, please send the image files per email to iya2009@eso.org, provide a link where we can download them or upload them to anonymous FTP: ftp://ftp.eso.org/incoming/iya2009 (you can't see the files but we can - let us know when they are there).

To accompany the slide show, you can play some of the IYA2009 music tracks, which you can find here: http://www.astronomy2009.org/resources/multimedia/audio/viewall/
To play an audio file through the whole presentation, read the following instructions: http://www.pptalchemy.co.uk/keep_playing.html

Celebrating the fifth anniversary of Huygens’ Titan touchdown

14 January 2010

In the framework of IYA2009, ESA is celebrating the fifth anniversary of Huygens’ Titan touchdown.

More information:

Astronomy Photographer of the Year 2010

14 January 2010

After the huge success of Astronomy Photographer of the Year 2009 the Royal Observatory Greenwich, U.K. have today opened entries to this year’s competition.

More information: http://www.nmm.ac.uk/visit/exhibitions/astronomy-photographer-of-the-year/

Cosmos in the Classroom 2010 and Making Connections in Education and Public Outreach

13 January 2010

Now that IYA is done and the long-term legacy plans are under way, this is a good time to reflect on and evaluate what we achieved and were not able to achieve. What long-term lessons can we take away from this massive international effort for the field of astronomy education and outreach? How will these lessons affect the programs we offer in years to come?

A good place to share such reflections and work with other education and outreach professionals on planning for the future will be the summer meeting of the Astronomical Society of the Pacific -- a meeting devoted to educational and outreach topics:

The 122nd Annual Meeting of the Astronomical Society of the Pacific (ASP), will be held July 31 - Aug. 4, 2010 at the University of Colorado in Boulder, in one of the most beautiful settings in the U.S.. The meeting features two concurrent 3-day conferences on Aug. 2 - 4:

* Cosmos in the Classroom 2010: A Hands-on Symposium on Teaching Introductory Astronomy
* Making Connections in Education and Public Outreach: A Meeting for Those Working in EPO.

You can now sign up to be notified as program and registration information becomes available at: http://www.astrosociety.org/events/meeting.html.

As in previous Cosmos and EPO conferences hosted by the ASP, we will devote much of the time to hands-on workshops, where we can "practice what we preach". We will also have panels, poster papers, a "share-a-thon" room for putting out materials we are proud of, and time for formal and informal networking with people who teach or work in settings similar to yours.

Cosmos attendees will include astronomy instructors from high schools, community colleges, liberal arts colleges, state universities, research universities, and informal science institutions. We especially welcome those who are teaching part time or are just starting to teach.

EPO conference attendees will include scientists, K-12 teachers, university educators, informal educators (e.g. museums, planetaria, parks), public communicators, science writers, and other EPO professionals. All are welcome who work on or support EPO projects in space science or earth science (including such fields such as physics, astrophysics, heliophysics, planetary science, and astrobiology).

Besides facilitating networking opportunities within each conference’s respective audience, the 2010 ASP Annual Meeting will feature plenary sessions aimed at bringing both groups together, and enabling greater dialogue and interactions among all attendees. We will arrange sessions joining instructors and EPO professionals, focusing on what kinds of information and what kinds of materials are most useful in classrooms, and how Astro 101 and EPO professionals can collaborate to their mutual benefit. A set of weekend workshops (July 31-August 1) will precede the two conferences.

We are working to make scholarships available to educators whose budgets would not ordinarily allow them to come, but these will be limited in number. If you can apply for travel through your own institution, we hope you can pursue that.

A method of proposing sessions and papers will be available at the ASP web site in early 2010. In the meantime, we hope you will start thinking about the kinds of activities you would like to see and do at the meeting. If you have suggestions for interesting approaches for the meeting program committee to consider, please contact one of the undersigned directly.

Andrew Fraknoi (Cosmos Program Sub-committee): fraknoiandrew@fhda.edu
Greg Schultz (EPO Program Sub-committee): gschultz@astrosociety.org

The World at Night Newsletter

13 January 2010

News and Report

- Photo Report: The World at Night Across Chile, One of the most successful countries in hosting TWAN events during the IYA2009 was Chile with exhibitions in 30 locations across the country including the presidential palace in Santiago.

- Photo Report: First Exposure in Scandinavia, TWAN events started in Scandinavia with a traveling exhibition in Sweden supported by the Swedish Astronomical Society.

- Photo Report: TWAN in Hungary, A traveling exhibition and presentations of The World at Night in Hungary in conjunction with the International Year of Astronomy 2009 made major public attention to the night sky.

Latest Photos and Videos

There are new stunning photos and time-lapse videos on TWAN website, featuring starry nights of the planet's landmarks from across the world.

Americas

USA
- Solstice Moon from Alaska by LeRoy Zimmerman
- Conjunction in Massachusetts by Dennis di Cicco
- Sky On Fire by Doug Zubenel
- Orange Blue Moon! by Doug Zubenel
- Comet Holmes and Oak Trees by Doug Zubenel
- Remembering a Star Party by Doug Zubenel
- Tall-grass Prairie Moon by Doug Zubenel

Canada
- Outside Activity (time-lapse video) by Yuichi Takasaka
- British Columbia Moonset (time-lapse video) by Yuichi Takasaka
- Meteor Through Aurora by Yuichi Takasaka
- A Flight of Light by Yuichi Takasaka

Chile
- Sky Motion above Martian Desert (time-lapse video) by Serge Brunier
- 24 Hours in Atacama (time-lapse video) by Serge Brunier

Europe

France
- Alternative Source of Geminids by Laurent Laveder
- Moon Balloon by Laurent Laveder
- The Moon above Paris by Dennis di Cicco
- The Venus of Paris by John Goldsmith

Sweden
- Stars Around the Pole by P-M Heden
- Clear Sky of Christmas Night by P-M Heden
- A Heavenly Night of New Year Eve by P-M Heden
- Moon and Jupiter Meets on Christmas Night by P-M Heden

Finland
Aurora Queen by Pekka Parviainen

Spain
- Startrails over The Ring by Juan Carlos Casado

Hungary
- Moon and Mercury by Tamas Ladanyi
- Return of Sunspots by Tamas Ladanyi

Asia and Middle East

Iran
- Colors of Night by Babak A. Tafreshi
- Amateur Astronomers Chase a Comet by Babak A. Tafreshi

Turkey
- Moon Hides Antares by Tunc Tezel
- Halos around Partially Eclipsed Moon by Tunc Tezel
- 8000 Years of History by Tunc Tezel
- Outside the Walls of an Ancient City by Tunc Tezel
- Starry Night of Hittites by Tunc Tezel

Nepal
- Everest and Mysterious Star by Babak A. Tafreshi
- Temple Night Hours by Babak A. Tafreshi
- Ama Dablam Startrails by Babak A. Tafreshi
- Paradise Valley by Oshin D. Zakarian
- Heritage Moon by Oshin D. Zakarian
- Stupa Trails by Oshin D. Zakarian
- Meteors and Trails above Panauti Temple by Oshin D. Zakarian
- Sirius Rises in Nepal by Oshin D. Zakarian

China
- The Celestial Bears by P.K. Chen

Africa

Algeria
- Sky of Our African Ancestors by Babak A. Tafreshi

Australia and Pacific

Australia
- Sky of Two Hemispheres by Babak A. Tafreshi
- Moonlit Night of the Wave Rock by John Goldsmith
- Stars above Wave Rock by John Goldsmith
- Tasmania at Night (time-lapse video) by John Goldsmith
- Southern Stars above Cradle Mountain by John Goldsmith

Guest Gallery is a well-received section on TWAN website to feature selected outstanding Earth and sky photos by non-TWAN creative photographers from around the globe. If you have such remarkable photos to share with TWAN Guest Gallery, please contact us. Listen to a New Year greeting message from the Gallery coordinator Thad V'Soske by clicking on the speaker icon at the top of the gallery pages.

There are new featured photos on the Guest Gallery:

- Night Street (Germany) by Jens Hackmann
- Tree, Milky Way, and Jupiter (Iran) by Ariana Ahangary
- ISS and Lake Michigan (USA) by Ken Scott
- Joshua Trees at Night (USA) by Chip Porter
- Trees and the Winter Triangle (Japan) by Kouji Ohnishi
- Highland Cottage (Iran) by Mohammad Javad Fahimi
- Harvest Moon Bridge (Portugal) by Miguel Claro
- Moon Trek (Portugal) by Goncalo Lemos
- Nighttime Mojave Yucca (USA) by Chip Porter
- Vega on Lake Alexandrina (New Zealand) by Kouji Ohnishi
- Venus and Regulus over Spina Lake (Italy) by Stefano De Rosa
- Namibia Night at TIVOLI Astrofarm (Namibia) by Michael Steffen
- Rising Orion (Hungary) by Tamas Abraham
- Star Trails over Martian Mountains (Iran) by Arman Golestaneh
- Moonrise over Lake Michigan (USA) by Bryan R. Tobias

Astronomy Picture of the Day (APOD), a NASA’s world-known website, has featured new TWAN photos:

- December Sunrise, Cape Sounion by Anthony Ayiomamitis
- Solar Eclipse Analemma by Tunç Tezel
- Mojave Desert Fireball by Wally Pacholka

TWAN is featuring six special galleries:

Latest Images
Dark Skies Importance
Cosmic Motions
World Heritage Sites
TWAN APODs
TWAN Podcast

TWAN is a global program of Astronomers Without Borders (www.astrowb.org) and a Special Project of International Year of Astronomy 2009, an initiative by IAU and UNESCO. The World at Night is to produce and present a collection of stunning photographs of the world's most beautiful and historic sites against the nighttime backdrop of stars, planets and celestial events. The eternally peaceful sky looks the same above all symbols of different nations and regions, attesting to the truly unified nature of Earth as a planet rather than an amalgam of human-designated territories.

Building bridges through the sky
The World at Night
www.twanight.org

IYA2009 is looking for astro-numismatic-enthusiasts

13 January 2010

During IYA2009 more than 70 postal agencies around the world have issued over 140 new stamps inspired by astronomy. But astronomy has increased its visibility also beyond philately, as demonstrated by the number of coins and medals with astronomy themes released during 2009.

Some examples:

The IYA2009 Secretariat is looking for someone to help compiling a comprehensive list of numismatic releases during 2009, similar to the analogous list regarding the philatelic releases: http://www.astronomy2009.org/organisation/structure/taskgroups/philately/calendar/.

If you are a astro-numismatic-enthusiast, please contact the IYA2009 Secretariat (iya2009@eso.org) and help the project to keep a long lasting legacy.

Closing Ceremony Video Streaming

8 January 2010

For those who are not able to attend, the Closing Ceremony will be broadcasted live on the official website: http://www.beyond2009.org/

IYA2009 Updates

8 January 2010

Dark Skies Rangers Program is now on-line!
Through the Dark Skies Rangers Program, students learn about the importance of dark skies and experience activities that illustrate proper lighting, light pollution’s effects on wildlife and how to measure the darkness of your skies. A highlight of the program is the citizen science project, GLOBE at Night, which enlists the help of students to collect data on the night sky conditions in their community and contribute to a worldwide database on light pollution. To learn more about the program and its activities, see http://www.darkskiesawareness.org/DarkSkiesRangers/.

A New Vision: Science and Tourism under the Stars
The StarLight Foundation has announced a new initiative to encourage the use of Science both as a resource for tourism and an essential part of sustainable tourism practices. The StarLight Tourism Certification System aims to ensure the quality of tourism experiences involving the nightscapes, the view of stars and the cosmos and the related scientific, cultural and environmental knowledge. Read more in their press release.

ESO Highlights in 2009
The year 2009 was celebrated as the International Year of Astronomy and has proved to be exceptional both for astronomy and for ESO. Read more here: http://www.eso.org/public/events/announcements/ann1001/index.html

100 Incredible Lectures from the World’s Top Scientists
Including 14 about Physics and Astronomy: http://www.bestcollegesonline.com/blog/2009/06/18/100-incredible-lectures-from-the-worlds-top-scientists/

Nightshade astronomy simulator launched
Nightshade is open source astronomy simulation and visualization software specifically tailored to digital planetarium and educator use. More information: http://nightshadesoftware.org/

StarPeace Newsletter
http://www.astronomy2009.org/news/updates/710/

Big Dipper to Southern Cross: Remote Observing for All
Join others from around the world in sharing our sky -- north and south -- LIVE on 8 and 10 January

The southern Milky Way can be so bright that on a clear moonless night it will cause shadows, yet it is something people living in the northern hemisphere only hear stories of. In the same way, the beauty and objects of the northern sky are a mystery to southern residents.

Big Dipper to Southern Cross brings these two hemispheres together -- truly One People, One Sky.

For this project there will be two telescopes -- one in the northern hemisphere and one in the south -- on two different nights. No experience is needed. This is a chance to watch as an experienced telescope operator and guide show how they capture the wonders of the night sky.

Join other members of AWB Affiliates around the world. Chat will be available between participants and with the telescope operator. Join in or just watch.

See the AWB Big Dipper to Southern Cross web page for more information: http://www.astronomerswithoutborders.org/index.php/projects/remote-observing/188-big-dipper-to-southern-cross.html

New Website and Non-Profit To Help Sustain IYA2009 Legacy Projects
http://www.astronomy2009.org/news/updates/712/

Celestron Celebrates Fifty Years of Optical Innovation
http://www.astronomy2009.org/news/updates/713/

U.S. Legacy Includes Telescope Kit, Dark-Skies Awareness & More
http://www.astronomy2009.org/news/updates/714/

Ric and Jean Edelman Give 15,000 Galileoscopes to Classrooms in the US
http://www.astronomy2009.org/news/updates/715/

The Sky - Yours to Discover update
Children and young people from all five continents were invited to look directly at the skies, identify stars, connect stars with imaginary lines and create new constellations. The Penguin, the Elephant, the Mermaid and even Benjamin Franklin were found in the skies during 2009.

The special project "The Sky - Yours to Discover" involved associated partners in Australia, USA, Cuba, Brazil and Venezuela in America, Portugal, United Kingdom, Romania and Slovenia in Europe, Mozambique, South Africa, Uganda, Ghana and Kenya in Africa, India, Iraq, United Arab Emirates and Indonesia in Asia.

A NASA Goddard Finale to the International Year of Astronomy
The Visitor Center at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Md. presents a one-of-a-kind event featuring expert Hubble scientist Dr. David Leckrone on Wednesday, January 13, 2010.

Dr. Leckrone will recount his experiences as Senior Scientist for the Hubble Space Telescope for more than two decades. He will delve into the rollercoaster ride that was Servicing Mission 4—the last Shuttle servicing mission to the famed telescope. He will showcase some of the stunning images recently taken with Hubble’s newly installed and repaired instruments.

A special preview of Hubble’s successor, the James Webb Space Telescope, or JWST, will follow Dr. Leckrone’s presentation. Dr. Jonathan Gardner, JWST Deputy Senior Project Scientist, will discuss the next-generation space observatory that will explore deep space phenomena from distant galaxies to nearby planets and stars.

The Goddard Visitor Center will host this free, one-hour lecture on January 13, 2010, at 7:00 p.m. Arrive at 6:30 p.m. to enjoy a captivating visual experience, Science on a Sphere, and use astronaut gloves to examine and operate tools from Hubble Servicing Mission 4.

While the universe is infinite, space for this event is limited. To reserve your seat, go to: http://education.gsfc.nasa.gov/iyaf.

For directions to the Goddard Visitor Center, please visit: http://www.nasa.gov/centers/goddard/visitor/directions/index.html

Cosmic Diary Closing Ceremony Live Blog
Follow the adventures of the intrepid IYA2009 Secretariat staff writer and Cosmic Diary live blogger Lee Pullen, as he tells all you need to know about what is going on in Padova, Italy, before, during and after the IYA2009 Closing Ceremony.

http://cosmicdiary.org/closing_ceremony/

Closing Ceremony Streaming
For those who are not able to attend, the Closing Ceremony will be broadcasted live on the official website: http://www.beyond2009.org/

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