IYA2009 Updates
International Day of Peace
21 September 2009
21 September is called the International Day of Peace by the United Nations. As some of you may know, Star Peace is a IYA 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
21 September 2009
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
21 September 2009
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.
ICON also hosts celebrity guests of honour, an international science fiction film festival, lectures on a broad range of humanities, social sciences and exact sciences topics, workshops on writing, editing, and film production, awards ceremonies, merchandise fairs, and much more besides.
This year's Festival is being held between 4 and 10 October at the Tel Aviv Cinematheque. For more information, please visit ICON's official website: http://www.icon.org.il/2009/en
400 Years of the Telescope Newsletter
21 September 2009
400 Years of the Telescope are pleased to announce
the publication of the September 2009 newsletter.
In this month's issue:
• Production Update: A Great eRead
• Featured Observatory: Hubble is Back!
• IYA2009 Update: Canada Takes IYA2009 to Space
• IYA USA Two New Citizen Science Opportunities; Galilean Nights
Coming Soon!
• Shopping Centers Across the US to Experience the World at Night
• IYA2009 Astrophotography Opportunities
• The Giant Magellan Telescope (GMT) gets funding
• AANC Annual Meeting 2009: Year of Astronomy
• Astronomy Club Profile: USA WACO
• Hubble's Amazing Rescue
• 400 Years of the Telescope on iTunes
Please download the newsletter via this link:
http://cts.vresp.com/c/?ArrowMarketing/f419b2b797/dcec6c4d6f/12867877a3
For past issues of the newsletter, please visit this link:
http://cts.vresp.com/c/?ArrowMarketing/f419b2b797/dcec6c4d6f/623495c0e7
Astronomy study abroad - Ghana
21 September 2009
Winter Session: December 28, 2009 - January 8, 2010
In celebration of the International Year of Astronomy, 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.
This intensive program aims to teach students to do cutting-edge astronomy research from anywhere in the world that has an internet connection. Students will learn how to use publicly available archival data from ground and space-based telescopes. In addition, students learn how African have traditionally viewed the heavens and the role the sky has played in their societies through hands-on cultural astronomy research in Cape Coast and the surrounding communities.
Through this course, students can earn between 3 and 9 credits in Astronomy or Anthropology. Courses will be held for 12 days in Cape Coast to be followed by two weeks of independent study upon return. Students may choose to take one, two of three of the following courses:
- ASTR/ANTH 345 Cultural Astronomy: Africa
- ASTR 300 The Universe at Your Fingertips: Research in the Survey Age
- ASTR 204 Great Debates in Astronomy
The program will be based on the University of Cape Coast campus in the coastal Ghanaian city of Cape Coast. Located on the Gulf of Guinea, approximately 75 miles from the capital of Accra, Cape Coast is one of Ghana's most historic cities and is home to Ghana's most vibrant fishing culture. Much of the beach is consumed with crowds of fishermen in traditional canoes, intertwined by a sea of fishing nets.
Applications available through The University of Arizona Office of Study Abroad & Student Exchange +1-(520) 626-9211, www.studyabroad.arizona.edu
FOR MORE INFORMATION, CONTACT Harmony DeFazio, defazioh@email.arizona.edu This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
NOTE : Applicants from the Africa should contact Prof. Buah-Bassuah in the Department of Physics at the University of Cape Coast for details on application and possibilities for funding. His email address is: buahbass@hotmail.com
Wanted: your IYA2009 photographs!
18 September 2009
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.
Images are being collected in the official IYA2009 Flickr group. Flickr is a popular photo-sharing website. Free accounts are available, and are easy to create. For those wanting a walkthrough of the process, only five steps are required:
- Create an account.
- Upload photos with the highest resolution possible.
- Go to the IYA2009 Group and select "Join This Group"
- Then add your IYA2009 photos to the group.
- Go to each photo's page and click on the copyright information, which is the first option under "Additional Information" in the right menu. Then select "Attribution Creative Commons"
The licensing information allows the IYA2009 Secretariat to use your work as part of official products, and also guarantees that the image will not be changed and that the author will be credited. If your photograph is selected to be used, you will be contacted by a member of the IYA2009 team.
Please direct any enquiries to Lee Pullen: lpullen@eso.org / http://www.flickr.com/photos/lee_pullen/
Learn more about Flickr: http://www.flickr.com/tour
Official IYA2009 Flickr group: http://www.flickr.com/groups/iya2009/
More information about licences: http://creativecommons.org/about/licenses/
More information about the Attribution Creative Commons: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/
IYA2009 Update
18 September 2009
Galilean Nights Press Release: Global Astronomy Event Invites the World to Discover Our Universe
Wind the clock back 400 years and follow in the footsteps of a giant - experience now just what first amazed Galileo in 1609! The latest Cornerstone project of the International Year of Astronomy 2009 (IYA2009), Galilean Nights, will see thousands of public observing events around the world replicating Galileo's observations and bringing what he saw 400 years ago to the public of today. From 22 to 24 October, amateur and professional astronomers, science centres, schools and all interested groups are invited to be part of the Galilean Nights project and to register their events on the project website www.galileannights.org. We can all make this a worldwide success. Read the release in its entirety: http://www.astronomy2009.org/news/pressreleases/detail/iya0915/
Discover our Universe with ESO's GIGAGALAXY ZOOM
The first of three images of ESO's GigaGalaxy Zoom project - a new magnificent 800-million-pixel panorama of the entire sky as seen from ESO's observing sites in Chile - has just been released online: http://www.gigagalaxyzoom.org/
Official IYA2009 comic, "The Lives of Galileo", goes from strength to strength
Everybody is familiar with the name of Galileo. But what do we know about him? Artist and author Fiami decided to answer this question in an accessible way by creating a well-illustrated and factually accurate comic providing a tour through the history of astronomy across Babylon, Alexandria, Kusumapura, Venice, Greenwich, and a classroom in 2009. Read about his recent successes: http://www.astronomy2009.org/news/updates/460/
Visit the world's best stargazing destinations for IYA2009
The best locations for astronomy have been outlined by the Matador Network, the largest independent travel magazine on the web. Boasting 800,000 unique visitors per month and more than 7000 Twitter followers, Matador is very popular among travellers. See the full article here: http://matadortrips.com/worlds-best-stargazing-destinations/
StarWalk iPhone application reviewed by The iPhone Blog
News, help, how-to, and review website The iPhone Blog has posted an in-depth evaluation of official IYA2009 product StarWalk. Writer Matt Sawyers goes into great detail about the mobile stargazing software, taking careful note of the well-designed user interface, search functions, and special features for 3GS users. The final score awarded is a very impressive 4.5 stars out of five. Read the review here: http://www.theiphoneblog.com/2009/09/06/app-review-star-walk-iphone/
Telescope amnesty beats the weather to attract an eager audience
The Michiana Astronomical Society from Indiana, U.S.A, realised that many people in their community possessed telescopes but did not know how to use them. In support of IYA2009's aim to make the Universe accessible to all, they decided to take action. The idea, recently put into action, was to run an all-day drop-in event where anyone could bring their underused telescopes, learn how to use them, and, if necessary, have them repaired by expert volunteers. The story is available online: http://www.astronomy2009.org/news/updates/459/
Author Bob Crelin promotes IYA2009 on US TV
Eyewitness News 3 on WFSB has made available online an interview with IYA2009 supporter and author Bob Crelin. During this, Bob talks about IYA2009 and his educational book, "Faces of the Moon".
View the video here: http://www.wfsb.com/video/20264638/index.html
Visit Bob's website here: http://www.bobcrelin.com/
TWAN Update
Read all about the latest project news: http://www.astronomy2009.org/news/updates/457/
News Round-up
18 September 2009
Matador Trips is honouring IYA2009 by listing the best places to go stargazing. If you want an astronomically-themed holiday, why not check out their recommendations. Look, it's even been mentioned on astronomy2009.org.
Let's hand over to Upamanyu Morita's blog. This dedicated IYA2009 supporter has posted the full version of a video made for the 100 Hours of Astronomy Awards Ceremony. Click "play" and be impressed.
STOP PRESS! Tenerife News has the story of the year, about the village of Tegueste's Farmers' Market Association and local artists holding a "Stellar Street Market". Kicking off on 23 September, the market will (somehow) "pay tribute" to the stars and constellations which have been used for farmers' agricultural needs.
The Anglo-Celt reports that Shercock youth Paul Smith has won the Astronomy Photographer of the Year Youth Award. Congratulations Paul, you've done Shercock proud. For some reason the website hasn't been allowed to publish the winning image, so the journalist has found himself in the strange position of having to describe it. Nightmare scenario!
Next up on our whistle-stop tour is the University of Florida News. They say that the annual Starry Night event, run by the Florida Museum of Natural History and local astronomy groups, is taking place on 25 September. There will be activities for all the family, including Galileoscope building. Ooooh, this event actually has its own website!
Last week the news round-up plugged an article by The Comet, and it's happening again now! The news site advertised a public star party held at Letchworth. According to the new article, the event was given a big boost by the publicity provided by The Comet. Reading between the lines, this is *obviously* a veiled nod to the news round-up.
We'll end this week with a visit to the Hi-Desert Star. The IYA2009 event they're advertising is the Yucca Valley's 13th annual Starry Nights Festival. There will be astronomers on hand to give talks and answer questions, a raffle, and even a kids' fancy-dress fun day. Why is that only open to children?
Visit the world’s best stargazing destinations for IYA2009
17 September 2009
The best locations for astronomy have been outlined by the Matador Network, the largest independent travel magazine on the web. Boasting 800,000 unique visitors per month and more than 7000 Twitter followers, Matador is very popular among travellers.
The article points to IYA2009 being the ideal time to rediscover the wonders of the night sky. Locations with dark skies include Chile's Atacama Desert, the Sonoran Desert in the American Southwest, and the Scottish Highlands.
See the full article here: http://matadortrips.com/worlds-best-stargazing-destinations/
StarWalk iPhone application reviewed by The iPhone Blog
16 September 2009
News, help, how-to, and review website The iPhone Blog has posted an in-depth evaluation of official IYA2009 product StarWalk.
Writer Matt Sawyers goes into great detail about the mobile stargazing software, taking careful note of the well-designed user interface, search functions, and special features for 3GS users. The final score awarded is a very impressive 4.5 stars out of five.
Read the full review here: http://www.theiphoneblog.com/2009/09/06/app-review-star-walk-iphone/
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