IYA2009 Updates

4 December 2009

Physics Today feature issue on light pollution and its effects on astronomy
http://ptonline.aip.org/dbt/dbt.jsp?KEY=PHTOAD&Volume=LASTVOL&Issue=LASTISS

European Fete de la Science focuses on astrobiology for IYA2009

The European Fete de la Science 2009 has been devoted to the origins of life and of the Universe. The French effort consisted of at least 10 events (conferences, activities for younger public, special exhibitions, astronomy cafes, games, and more) in 95 departments, including 10 large conferences for the general public. Special emphasis was given to astrobiology, with about 50 different events on the topic held throughout France. http://www.astronomy2009.org/news/updates/652/

365 Days of Astronomy podcast announces continuation into 2010

The award-winning 365 Days of Astronomy podcast is proud to announce that the project will continue for another 365 days and is now accepting sign-ups for participants for 2010. This is a legacy project of IYA2009 and is being managed by Astrosphere New Media Association. http://www.astronomy2009.org/news/updates/651/

Music videos inspired by famous astronomers

Two music videos have been made based on the work on astronomers such as Carl Sagan and Richard Feynman. Using clips from past TV series along with sampled voice sections, the music pieces are new ways to bring the awe of astronomy to the public.

See them here:

http://vimeo.com/7062238

http://www.zefrank.com/zesblog/archives/2009/12/vocoders_now_of.html

U.S. National Parks release dark sky posters

The US National Park Service has created a series of posters to advertise the dark skies present in these areas of natural beauty. See the posters here: http://newton.uor.edu/FacultyFolder/tyler_nordgren/Gallery/NationalParks/Parks.html

Astronomy education Summer School for teachers

The European Association for Astronomy Education is the first all-European network for teachers interested in astronomy. This year the institution is organising a specific course for teachers in order to offer them access to new educational materials and methods and the chance to exchange experiences. This course is open to all secondary school teachers who work in European countries. http://www.astronomy2009.org/news/updates/647/

German astronomy exhibition set to open on 9 December

Work on the exhibition "Evolution of the Universe" at Munich's Deutsches Museum is progressing at pace, and organisers are on track to open as scheduled on 9 December. The exhibition will run for two years and is a collaboration between five organisations: the European Southern Observatory, the Excellence Cluster Universe, and the Max Planck Institutes for Physics, Astrophysics, and Extraterrestrial Physics. http://www.astronomy2009.org/news/updates/646/

European university students to carry out hypergravity and microgravity experiments

The European Space Agency has launched its first edition of two new educational programmes: "Spin Your Thesis!" and "Drop Your Thesis!". Through these programmes, several teams of university students throughout Europe will be given the opportunity to carry out experiments in hypergravity and microgravity. http://www.astronomy2009.org/news/updates/645/

Official Closing of the International Year of Astronomy 2009 in Mexico

An Astronomy Fair was held in Mexico City from 20 to 29 November 2009, to mark the closing of the IYA2009. The Fair included 70 astronomical lectures, 60 physics workshops, 150 short planetarium shows (in an inflatable dome), a variety of children activities and more than 20 exhibits on astronomical topics. This event was directed to the general public and had more than 30 000 visitors. More information here: http://www.astronomia2009.org.mx/feria/feria.htm

Virtual tour of the Fair: http://www.showmeproducciones.com/feriaastronomia/

Public observations in Nicaragua in December

As part of their activities in the IYA2009 celebrations, the Nicaraguan Amateur Astronomers Society "Carl Sagan" will conduct two public events in Nicaragua's Capitol City, Managua. These events, a Public Stargazing and an Astronomic Gallery Showroom, will take place on December 2nd, 9th and 16th. The Stargazing event aims to get the attention of the public to Jupiter and its Galilean Moons and to many other interesting objects during those nights. The Astronomic Gallery Showroom wants to call for the attention of the public in general Astronomy and to explain with images and text what wonders exist in the Starry Night. http://www.anasa.org.ni

International Dark-Sky Association Director’s Award goes to the IYA2009 Dark Skies Working Groups

Connie Walker (Chair) and the working group members of "Dark Skies Awareness" working groups internationally and for the U.S. received an International Dark-Sky Association "Executive Director's Award" at the recent IDA Annual General Meeting for their work on the U.S. and International IYA2009 Cornerstone project "Dark Skies Awareness". http://www.astronomy2009.org/news/updates/641/

Polynesian navigators remembered for IYA2009

The New Zealand National Commission for UNESCO and the Society for Maori Astronomy, Research and Tourism are hosting an extraordinary week of events to celebrate the achievements of ancient Polynesian navigators and scientists and to also mark the International Year of Astronomy 2009. http://www.astronomy2009.org/news/updates/640/

GalileoMobile completes exciting journey
After almost two months of life-changing experiences, bringing the excitement of astronomy to young children in Chile, Bolivia and Peru, the journey of the GalileoMobile Project has come to an end. http://www.astronomy2009.org/news/updates/638/

European Fete de la Science focuses on astrobiology for IYA2009

4 December 2009

Attendance figures proved to be impressive. For the 10 large AMA09 conferences in main cities, there were around 3000 people. 1550 students participated in six astrobiology conferences for high-school pupils in Paris. For the CNES Astrobiology small meetings with the public, about 2500 people attended over the course of the week.

For more information (in French), please visit http://www.astronomy2009.fr/ Specific details are available on the news section, "Du 16 au 22 Novembre, Fête de la science".

365 Days of Astronomy Podcast Announces Continuation Into 2010

4 December 2009

The award-winning 365 Days of Astronomy podcast is proud to announce that the project will continue for another 365 days and is now accepting sign-ups for participants for 2010. This is a legacy project of the International Year of Astronomy (IYA) and is being managed by Astrosphere New Media Association.

In 2009, the 365 Days of Astronomy podcast was a major project of the IYA, publishing one podcast for every day of the year. The podcast episodes are written, recorded, and produced by people all around the world. “This podcast gives a voice to everyone in astronomy -- professionals, amateurs, and those who just enjoy the amazing discoveries and images of our Universe,” said Dr. Pamela Gay, chair for the IYA’s New Media Group. The continuation of the project was officially announced at the .Astronomy (“dot Astronomy”) conference in Leiden, The Netherlands, on Friday.

The 365 Days of Astronomy podcast is now looking for individuals, schools, companies, and clubs to submit 5 to 10 minutes of audio for our daily podcast.

“The Universe is a big place -- but the 365 Days of Astronomy podcast brings a little piece of it down to Earth each day,” said Dr. Chris Lintott, BBC Sky at Night.

The 365 Days of Astronomy podcast has gained a wide audience, and each episode is heard by 5,000 to 10,000 listeners. The project was awarded a Parsec Award for “The Best Info-tainment” podcast of 2009.

Participants can sign up to do just one episode or up to 12 episodes (one per month, subject to editorial discretion). The 365 Days of Astronomy team encourages people to sign up for a particular day (or days) of 2010. A calendar of astronomical events is available on the project’s website to provide ideas, but the podcasts can be about virtually any astronomical topic. “We are seeking a wide range of contributions, from simple concepts or how-to’s to more in-depth discussions of complex concepts,” said Dr. Gay. “In 2009, we received a wide range of contributions, from simple at-home first-time podcasts to highly polished and professional recordings. We expect the same for 2010 and are looking to sign up a wide range of participants, from graduate students in astronomy to science bloggers to big media companies.”

The project is also seeking financial support from individuals and organizations to help pay for editing and posting of the podcasts.

For more information visit http://365DaysOfAstronomy.org

Music videos inspired by famous astronomers

4 December 2009

See them here:
http://vimeo.com/7062238
http://www.zefrank.com/zesblog/archives/2009/12/vocoders_now_of.html

U.S. National Parks release dark sky posters

4 December 2009

Astronomy education Summer School for teachers

4 December 2009

The course took place from 26 November to 1 December in Madrid. At this event several different kinds of activities were presented by astronomers, university professors, and secondary school teachers. The course is for school teachers interested in astronomy even if they only have limited knowledge in this field. The course is not aimed at experts. The preliminary theme is "Adventure in teaching Astronomy". The aim of the organisers is to promote very active participation and the exchange of ideas.

For more information, please visit: http://www.eaae-astro.org/EAAE_2009_info.html

German astronomy exhibition set to open on 9 December

4 December 2009

Visitors will be taken back 13.7 billion years to the Big Bang. They will then follow the paths and byways of cosmic evolution, from the birth of space, time and matter to the formation of the network of filaments of galaxy clusters that is the Universe's large-scale structure. Back in the present, life cycles of stars will be explored, along with the structure and evolution of galaxies, including the role played by enigmatic black holes, before catching a glimpse of the future: what do scientists know about our Universe's ultimate fate?

For more information, see: http://www.universe-cluster.de/press/press-releases/mitteilung/article/49/Exhibition-Evolution-of-the-Universe-in-the-Deutsches-Museum/

European university students to carry out hypergravity and microgravity experiments

4 December 2009

"Spin Your Thesis!" will enable students to perform hypergravity experiments in the Large Diameter Centrifuge (LDC) in ESTEC, the Netherlands. The LDC allows samples to be exposed to acceleration forces up to 20 times Earth’s gravity. Each of the four arms can support two gondolas, with a maximum payload mass of 80kg per gondola.

Students from around Europe are invited to design - as part of their syllabus - a scientific or technology experiment that requires hypergravity for minutes, few hours or even days. The submission deadline for proposals is 21 January 2010. A Review Board including ESA and ELGRA experts will select four teams to further develop their experiments and eventually perform them during ESA’s first Student Large Diameter Centrifuge campaign in the spring or summer of 2010. This campaign will last two weeks, with two teams using the equipment each week.

For “Drop Your Thesis!” students will develop microgravity experiments to be performed in the ZARM Drop Tower Facility, in Bremen. This facility is one of the most sophisticated and high-quality research centres of its kind in Europe and boasts a 146m high tower that gives experiments up to 9.3s of microgravity.

Student teams that are interested are requested to submit their proposals by 1 March 2010. The proposals received will be evaluated by a Review Board including ESA and ELGRA experts that will select the winning teams. These teams will perform their experiments during ESA’s 2nd Student ZARM Drop Tower Campaign, to be held in Bremen for three weeks in the autumn of 2010.

For both programmes, the selected teams will be supported by the ESA Education Office, ZARM or LDC engineers and members of ELGRA as Mentors. The ESA Education Office will offer financial support to cover part of the cost of the experiments, travel and accommodation.

Teams from ESA Member States and Cooperating States are encouraged to register on the ESA Education Office's project portal and upload their proposals for the programmes.

For more information, please visit: http://www.esa.int/SPECIALS/Education/

Official Closing of the International Year of Astronomy in Mexico

2 December 2009

More information here: http://www.astronomia2009.org.mx/feria/feria.htm

Virtual tour of the Fair: http://www.showmeproducciones.com/feriaastronomia/

Public observations in Nicaragua in December

1 December 2009

As part of their activities in the IYA2009 celebrations, the Nicaraguan Amateur Astronomers Society "Carl Sagan" will conduct 2 public events in Nicaragua's Capitol City, Managua.

These events, a Public Stargazing and an Astronomic Gallery Showroom, will take place on December 2nd, 9th and 16th.

The Stargazing event aims to get the attention of the public to Jupiter and its Galilean Moons and to many other interesting objects during those nights.

The Astronomic Gallery Showroom wants to call for the attention of the public in general Astronomy and to explain with images and text what wonders exist in the Starry Night.

More information at: http://www.anasa.org.ni

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