IYA2009 Updates

New York Times blog makes quiz for IYA2009

25 September 2009

Tierney Lab, a New York Times blog, has marked IYA2009 by releasing an astronomy quiz based on From Earth To The Universe images. The 20 questions include topics such as the Sun, galaxies, the electromagnetic spectrum, and the planets. Take the quiz and see how your astronomical knowledge ranks!

Click here for the blog post: http://tierneylab.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/09/11/the-beautiful-universe-astronomy-quiz/

From Earth To The Universe: http://www.fromearthtotheuniverse.org/index.php

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.

IYA2009 Update

25 September 2009

Galilean Nights - The Galileo Experience

Wanted: your IYA2009 photographs!
IYA2009 is a great opportunity to take amazing pictures of the night sky, star parties, exhibitions, school activities, talks, and other events. The IYA2009 Secretariat invites you all to submit your pictures to be used in products such as like press releases, brochures, and the final report. Find out how to do this here: http://www.astronomy2009.org/news/updates/465/

The biggest Sri Lankan IYA2009 event is here!
Sri Lanka is geared up and ready for its largest astronomy event of the year: Star Party, a competition for students from different parts of the island. The main topics of discussion will be observation, rocketry, cosmology, and astrophysics. More information is available online: http://www.astronomy2009.org/news/updates/475/

Become an astronomy researcher for a night
Launched in 1995, Researchers' Night is an annual Europe-wide event where the public at large have the opportunity to discover the magical work of science. Dozens of laboratories, universities, enterprises, and foundations open their doors and unveil their secrets. This year it falls on 25 September. Interested individuals and groups can freely enter and become scientists for a night, working on fascinating experiments using cutting-edge instruments. To learn more about this "Researchers in Europe" initiative, and to find events in your country, please visit: http://ec.europa.eu/research/researchersineurope/events/researchersnight09/index_en.htm

Communicating Astronomy with the Public 2010: Call for Registration
The "Communicating Astronomy with the Public 2010" (CAP2010) conference will take place in Cape Town, South Africa, from 15 to 19 March, 2010. Initial information is now online: http://www.astronomy2009.org/news/updates/472/

Celebrate UN-declared World Space Week 2009
World Space Week - established by the United Nations in 1999 - is taking place every year between 4-10 October. It is the best occasion to use space to excite students! During UN-declared World Space Week a large number of public events and educational programmes are held simultaneously all around the world, on the Internet, even in outer space! As the theme of World Space Week 2009 is "Space for Education" we encourage in particular the participation of educational establishments to join us in celebrating our 10th Anniversary. See more details: http://www.astronomy2009.org/news/updates/471/

International Day of Peace
21 September is called the International Day of Peace by the United Nations. As some of you may know, Star Peace is an IYA2009 project, and its main goal is to promote peace. To celebrate the International Day of Peace, the amateur astronomers are invited to hold Star Parties and draw a Peace Line on Earth. To further read about this event, and to join Star Peace group and respect a world without war with them, visit: http://starpeace.org/En/News/45/Default.aspx

Europe-wide education event with ESA astronaut Frank De Winne
A Europe-wide education event today links ESA astronaut Frank De Winne on the International Space Station with hundreds of schoolchildren in several European cities. In a live link-up with the ISS, De Winne will perform a simple experiment in space to demonstrate the effects of freefall. More information: http://www.esa.int/esaCP/SEM98SQXQZF_index_0.html

Israeli Sci-Fi and Fantasy Festival celebrates IYA2009
Every year in October, the ICON Sc-Fi and Fantasy Festival descends upon Tel Aviv, Israel. A highly respected event, ICON receives widespread positive media coverage and enjoys good standing within the world's science fiction and fantasy communities. To honour 2009, the upcoming ICON Festival is set to include an academic conference about astronomy. Speakers will include Prof. Avshalom Elitzur, Prof. Elia Leibowitz, and Dr. Yigal Patel, chairman of the Israeli Astronomical Association. To see more, please visit: http://www.astronomy2009.org/news/updates/468/

400 Years of the Telescope Newsletter
Read it here: http://www.astronomy2009.org/news/updates/467/

"She Is An Astronomer" 2010 Calendar
The "She Is An Astronomer" IYA2009 Cornerstone project has produced a colourful calendar for 2010 featuring accomplished women astronomers from around the world. The illustrated calendar can be downloaded from: http://www.sheisanastronomer.org/index.php/downloads/calendar

Quantum to Cosmos Festival is Online and Around the World
With only one month to go until launch, Perimeter Institute's Quantum to Cosmos Festival is gaining interest - on-site, online and on TVO. Read all about it: http://www.astronomy2009.org/news/updates/474/

Astronomy study abroad - Ghana
Winter Session: December 28, 2009 - January 8, 2010
In celebration of IYA2009, the University of Arizona's Office of Study Abroad & Student Exchange is offering a unique faculty-led winter session program in Ghana. This program is designed for students interested in astronomy and anthropology, particularly in an African context. See more details: http://www.astronomy2009.org/news/updates/466/

Galilean Nights – The Galileo Experience

23 September 2009

Wind the clock back 400 years and follow in the footsteps of a giant - it amazed Galileo in 1609, now everyone can experience it in 2009! On 22-24 October 2009, the International Year of Astronomy 2009 Cornerstone Project, Galilean Nights, will see amateur and professional astronomers, enthusiasts and the public taking to the streets all around the globe, pointing their telescopes to the wonders that Italian astronomer Galileo observed 400 years ago. Spread over three nights, astronomers will share their knowledge and enthusiasm for space by encouraging as many people as possible to look through a telescope at our planetary neighbours. The focus for Galilean Nights is the objects that Galileo observed, including Jupiter and the Moon, which will be well-positioned in the night sky for observing.

Public Observing

The focus of Galilean Nights is to bring a Galileo moment to the many people around the world who have yet to see the night sky through a telescope. Public observing sessions will take place all over the world, from small events in remote locations, to large events in the centres of capital cities.

Alongside these public observing events, people are running observatory open days and astronomy presentations, as well as other central Galilean Nights activities: a Jupiter Observation Campaign, where people will be encouraged to record their observations of Jupiter; Remote Observing sessions and an astrophotography competition.

Remote Observing

Over the Galilean Nights event, several large observatories will be making their telescopes available to the world. Members of the public will be able to control telescopes on the other side of the world and take photos of astronomical objects from the comfort of their own homes - all for free!

Astrophotography Competition

The stunning images of distant objects in the Universe are well know around the world and do more to bring astronomy to the wider public and to inspire future astronomers than words ever could. Take a different approach to your observing, don't just look at the skies, take a photograph of what you see. Enter the Galilean Nights Astrophotography Competition and have your image inspire others.

The aim of the Galilean Nights Astrophotography Competition is to encourage more people to photograph the night sky and add a different angle to their astronomy interest. The competition will run from September to November and is split into two categories:

Earth and Sky

Highlighting the link between the Earth and our astronomical neighbourhood, entries to this category must show part of the surface of the Earth with one or more of the Galilean Objects in the sky above.

Beyond Earth

Entries to this category must show one or more of the Galilean Objects, but not show any aspect of the Earth. Use of a small telescope is permitted in this category.

For full competition details, see the Galilean Nights website: www.galileannights.org

Local Contacts

Overseeing Galilean Nights events is a lot to organise alongside other IYA2009 events. One approach that some countries have taken up is to appoint specific contact(s) to oversee Galilean Nights activities and you are all encouraged to do this to help spread out the work. Appointing Local Contact(s) will also help you to tap into the knowledge, experience and enthusiasm of those within your local astronomy networks. If you decide to appoint Local Contact(s) then please let the Task Group Chair know their details as soon as possible so that they can be listed on the website

Publicise Galilean Nights

Please help us to raise the profile of Galilean Nights among your astronomy and science communities to get a wide range of groups organising and running events. People from all backgrounds and level of experience are encouraged to organise events, from one person sharing the night sky through a telescope with a small group of neighbours and friends, to large astronomical groups holding large observing sessions in public areas.

Publicity among the wider public and school groups should be increased to let people know about Galilean Nights and to encourage as many as possible to attend events and experience a Galileo moment for themselves!

Make use of all networks available to you to communicate about the event. Apart from those networks that are more obvious to you (universities, research institutes, amateur astronomers), there are surely many people working in science and scientific and cultural communication in your country. Use their contacts, use their networks for the benefit of Galilean Nights. You probably know who these people are much better than we do, but here are some examples:

Science centres
Public libraries
Science clubs at schools
Teachers associations
Science journalists
Science communicators
Science teachers
Youth groups - boy scouts and girl guides

With less than one month to go until the event, preparations need to increase to ensure events take place in many places and run as smoothly as possible.

Register Now!

Registration is now open. If you are planning any activities for Galilean Nights, then please ensure that you register the details of your event on the website. All registered activities will be listed on the Galilean Nights website, helping organisers to reach more people. The registered list is how we will keep track of all Galilean Nights events and the numbers of countries and locations that the project is reaching.

More information: www.galileannights.org

"She Is An Astronomer" 2010 Calendar

23 September 2009

The "She Is An Astronomer" cornerstone project of the International Year of Astronomy has produced a colorful calendar for 2010 featuring accomplished women astronomers from around the world.

"With this calendar we aim to help reconstruct the history of women in astronomy, which, as in other fields of knowledge, is poorly known. We have highlighted exceptional women whose contributions to the advancement of science deserve to transcend anonymity and occupy a place in history. We have tried to give visibility and to value the contributions of women astronomers from different epochs and countries."

The illustrated calendar can be downloaded from: http://www.sheisanastronomer.org/index.php/downloads/calendar

The biggest Sri Lankan IYA2009 event is here!

23 September 2009

Sri Lanka is geared up and ready for its largest astronomy event of the year: Star Party, a competition for students from different parts of the island. The main topics of discussion will be observation, rocketry, cosmology, and astrophysics.

As IYA2009 makes this year extra-special, the Star Party team will provide a live streaming feed via http://starparty2009.com/sp-09-live/. This is aimed in particular at the global education community, enabling everyone to embrace IYA2009's theme "the Universe, Yours to Discover".

Star Party 2009 will take place at the premises of the University of Peradeniya, Kandy, Sri Lanka from 6:00 pm local time (12:30 UTC/GMT or 08:30 EDT) onwards on 25 September 2009. The project will last for more than 12 hours and already more than 500 participants have been confirmed. The event is organised by the Anandian Astronomical Association, of Ananda College and Astronomical Society of Mahamaya Girls' College, Kandy as an affiliated project.

2009 will be the 6^th year that Star Party has run in South Asia. It began as an observation event and gradually evolved into what we see today.

To learn more about this incredible event, please visit: http://starparty2009.com/
Read Gayandhi de Silva's Cosmic Diary blog post about Star Party here: http://www.cosmicdiary.org/blogs/eso/gayandhi_silva/?p=136

Quantum to Cosmos Festival is Online and Around the World

22 September 2009

With only one month to go until launch, Perimeter Institute's Quantum to Cosmos Festival is gaining interest - on-site, online and on TVO.

Engaging content is available to preview right now at q2cfestival.com, including clips of:

‘The Quantum Tamers', a new documentary premiering at the Festival and on TVO, that features Stephen Hawking and reveals how a coming technological revolution may change your world.
‘Alice & Bob in Wonderland', a new series of animated chalk drawings that shares simple questions leading to profound insights.

The free, highly accessible content is available online to everyone, and registered members can log in to start discussions, offer comments, and exchange emails. Guests are joining the virtual community from Canada, China, India, Germany, Hong Kong and the United States.

Come October 15-25, the q2cfestival.com website will rapidly expand as the actual lectures and panel discussions are shared online from Waterloo, Ontario, Canada.

Online visitors can watch these lectures and panel discussions as they happen through live video-streaming, or on demand at any time - all through q2cfestival.com.

Quantum to Cosmos Festival is Online and Around the World

Waterloo, Ontario, Canada, September 15, 2009

Become an astronomy researcher for a night

22 September 2009

Launched in 1995, Researchers' Night is an annual Europe-wide event where the public at large have the opportunity to discover the magical work of science. Dozens of laboratories, universities, enterprises, and foundations open their doors and unveil their secrets. This year it falls on 25 September.

Interested individuals and groups can freely enter and become scientists for a night, working on fascinating experiments using cutting-edge instruments. With dedicated experts and technicians on hand to assist, no question is beyond the realm of our understanding.

To learn more about this "Researchers in Europe" initiative, and to find events in your country, please visit: http://ec.europa.eu/research/researchersineurope/events/researchersnight09/index_en.htm

Communicating Astronomy with the Public 2010: Call for Registration

21 September 2009

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 the International Year of Astronomy 2009 (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.

Important Dates

Abstract Deadline: 1 November 2009
Registration Deadline: 15 November 2009

Rationale

This conference builds on the astounding success of the International Year of Astronomy 2009 (IYA2009). It will bring together producers of astronomical information (research scientists), public information officers (connected with large observatories and space missions), and mediators (science reporters and writers, staff members from museums, planetariums). CAP2010 will focus on the outcome of the IYA2009 activities, their evaluation and plans for future work. Furthermore, as this meeting will be held in South Africa, another major theme will be ‘stimulating astronomy communication in the emerging world'.

Some of the key topics of CAP2010 are:

Reports from IYA2009 National Nodes, Organisational Nodes, Cornerstone Projects and Special Projects with an emphasis on the IYA2009 legacy
Challenges and successes: Case studies from around the world
Crowdsourcing/Citizen science projects
Communicating in the social networking/Web 2.0 mediascape: twitter/youtube/facebook/vodcasting
Audiovisual & multimedia communication incl. tools and techniques
New ways to exploit and visualize astronomical data
Social impact of astronomy communication
Alternative ways of communicating astronomy
EPO Clearinghouses: Portal to the Universe, COMpadre, etc.
Evaluation of IYA2009 and lessons for the future
Communicating across national, language, political, social and cultural borders

‘Astronomy communication 101' courses

One of the specific goals of CAP2010 is to create an IYA2009 legacy by actively promoting astronomy communication in the Developing World and this will feature throughout the meeting. Linked to, but not directly part of CAP2010, will be an "Astronomy communication 101" school directed at participants from the Developing World. Selected conference participants will be invited speakers. This school will take place over 3 days from 10th to 12th March 2010, just before the main conference, at the South African Astronomical Observatory.

For more details on the conference, school and to register/submit a contribution, please visit:http://www.communicatingastronomy.org/cap2010/index.html

Celebrate UN-declared World Space Week 2009

21 September 2009

World Space Week - established by the United Nations in 1999 - is taking place every year between 4-10 October. It is the best occasion to use space to excite students!

During UN-declared World Space Week a large number of public events and educational programmes are held simultaneously all around the world, on the Internet, even in outer space!

As the theme of World Space Week 2009 is "Space for Education" we encourage in particular the participation of educational establishments to join us in celebrating our 10th Anniversary.

Apart from Universities, professional, primary and secondary schools the UN-declared World Space Week is open to anybody with an interest in space: non-governmental organisations, corporations, associations, cities, individuals, you name it!

As World Space Week participant you're encouraged to organize space-themed activities. More info and supporting links can be found in our worldwide Invitation to Participate (PDF/MSWord): http://www.worldspaceweek.org/Invitation_to_Participate.html

To show to the media and the public the extent of your event, classroom or organisation and how it contributes to the world celebrations it is of utmost importance to register your event at: http://www.worldspaceweek.org/calendar_2009.php

To recognize the most creative use of space to inspire students, World Space Week Association will offer several $500 Educational Award this year.

More information:

http://www.worldspaceweek.org

http://www.flickr.com/photos/worldspaceweek/

http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=2438174754

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