[AstroNet] News, Events, Resources and Projects

Wed Nov 12 02:13:27 SAST 2008

 From IYA international office...

-------- Original Message --------
Subject: 	News, Events, Resources and Projects
Date: 	Tue, 11 Nov 2008 09:19:18 +0100
From: 	Pedro Russo <prusso at eso.org>
To: 	undisclosed-recipients:;

Dear SPoCs and Chairs,
With 2009 on the horizon, IYA2009 news is coming thick and fast. To keep 
you up-to-date with developments, here's the latest newsletter.

*News*
*Job opportunity: 100 Hours of Astronomy Project Coordinator*
The 100HA Cornerstone project is in need of a coordinator to organise 
and supervise a team of volunteers, manage website content, participate 
in the creation of fliers, brochures, posters and other information 
resources, communicate with national and local organisers worldwide, 
respond to enquiries, meet with potential sponsors and otherwise assure 
the development of programmes and resources. Essential skills include 
verbal and written communication in English, proven ability of working 
with people, and organising team efforts.
If you, or someone you know, meets the criteria and think they are up to 
the challenge, then click to learn more: 
http://www.100hoursofastronomy.org/about/coordinator.html

*Royalty supports IYA2009*
Prince Felipe of Spain (Prince of Asturias) is presiding over the 
Spanish IYA2009 Honour Committee. For more information (in Spanish), go 
to:  
http://www.iaa.es/IYA09/index.php/es/organizacion/nacional/comite_de_honor

*Attention professional astronomers: IYA2009 needs you!*
A call has been made for professional astronomers to contribute toward 
IYA2009. Their expertise will be greatly valued and appreciated, so we 
ask you to spread the word in your countries / regions, and help to get 
them onboard.
To assist, we've produced some PowerPoint slides which contain 
suggestions and ideas: 
http://www.astronomy2009.org/resources/presentations/detail/presentation_IYA2009_professional_astronomers/

*Celestron SkyScout declared official IYA2009 product*
Celestron's snazzy SkyScout gadget has earned the deserved honour of 
being an official IYA2009 product. If you haven't seen one in action, 
they are personal handheld planetariums equipped with GPS technology 
that allow users to locate and identify 50,000 objects in the night sky.
Celestron has a dedicated IYA2009 website, which is definitely worth a 
look: http://www.celestronlife.com/IYA09/

*NASA selects astronomy student ambassadors*
46 undergraduate and graduate students have been selected to represent 
NASA in their local communities as recipients of the agency's IYA2009 
Student Ambassadors Program.
Two of the students were chosen to attend the IYA2009 Opening Ceremony 
in Paris, January 2009: Rebecca Holmes, a sophomore at the University of 
North Carolina Chapel Hill who is majoring in physics and astronomy, and 
Norberto Gonzalez, a junior at the University of Puerto Rico at Arecibo 
with a biology concentration.
For more information, go to: http://astronomy2009.nasa.gov

*Events*
*Training for young astronomy communicators*
The Space Generation Advisory Council and Uludag University Project 
Office in Turkey are collaborating to organise "ToAP - Training of 
Astronomy Promoters". Aimed at young communicators who want to 
popularise astronomy throughout IYA2009, it's sure to be greatly valued 
by participants. The training course will be held in Bursa-Turkey 
between 18-24 May 2009.
For more information, visit: http://www.spacegeneration.org/node/2173

*Opening Events*
As you know, the official global Opening Ceremony will happen in Paris, 
France, on 15 and 16 January 2009. More information on the Opening 
Ceremony: http://ama09.obspm.fr/ama09/open.php
If you are planning any official opening ceremony in your country, 
please send us the dates and information as soon as possible. We will 
publish that information on the global IYA2009 website.

*Resources
IYA2009 Discovery Guides now available online*
Introducing 12 easy ways to share the excitement of the night sky during 
IYA2009!
The Night Sky Network, Astronomical Society of the Pacific, National 
Science Foundation, NASA, and the IYA US committee have teamed up to 
provide Monthly IYA Discovery Guides. These are internationally 
accessible and complete with articles, activities, instructional videos, 
and finder charts.
You can download them here: http://www.astrosociety.org/iya/guides.html

The Guides form part of a wide range of activities, searchable here: 
http://nightsky.jpl.nasa.gov/download-search.cfm

And for those of you with websites, we encourage you to link directly to 
these resources using the following: 
http://nightsky.jpl.nasa.gov/download-view.cfm?Doc_ID=338

*Project Updates
365 Days of Astronomy Podcast says: "hello, world!"*
The first, introductory episode of 365 Days of Astronomy has been posted 
online. This project aims to release an astronomically themed show every 
day throughout IYA2009. There are plenty of opportunities to get 
involved, so listen in and start planning now!
Go straight to the show by clicking: 
http://365daysofastronomy.org/2008/11/06/podcast-hello-world/

*FETTU images released*
 From Earth To The Universe is steaming ahead! Now available are zipped 
high-resolution files and separate captions for the breathtaking images.
Be sure to check them out: 
http://www.fromearthtotheuniverse.org/topimages.php

*Congratulations, FETTU!
*We are happy to report some more excellent news, courtesy of the FETTU 
team.
NASA has approved an Education and Public Outreach proposal, resulting 
in approximately $300,000 (US) for use in 2009 and 2010. This money will 
fund two semi-permanent FETTU exhibits in Chicago (in conjunction with 
the Adler Planetarium) and Atlanta (with Agnes Scott College and the 
Hartsfield International Airport), as well as a travelling version that 
will have multiple stops across the US. The NASA grant will also provide 
FETTU organisers with the ability to create informal education products, 
materials for visually impaired users, and evaluation information. These 
and other elements that are enabled by the NASA grant will be shared 
with FETTU organisers worldwide.
More information: www.fromearthtotheuniverse.org

*FETTU on a roll!
*Three's a charm for FETTU: Sky & Telescope magazine will feature about 
50 FETTU images across 30 pages in its annual "Beautiful Universe" 
publication.
Click for more: 
http://www.shopatsky.com/products/U801.L5/Beautiful%20Universe%202009.htm

Those are the key updates for this time. We think they serve to 
demonstrate just how much progress is being made in this final leg 
before 2009.
Remember that the Secretariat is always willing to assist with any 
IYA2009 questions you may have!

Kind regards,
Pedro and Mariana
IYA2009 Secretariat   

-- 
_________________________________________________
Pedro Russo
International Year of Astronomy 2009 Coordinator
Editor-in-Chief CAPjournal
International Astronomical Union
e. prusso at eso.org  
p. +49 (0) 89 320 06 195
f. +49 (0) 89 320 06 703
w. www.astronomy2009.org / www.capjournal.org
a. IAU IYA2009 Secretariat
ESO education and Public Outreach Department
Karl-Schwarzschild-Strasse 2
D-85748 Garching bei München
Germany

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