[AstroNet] [Fwd: IYA2009 Newsletter]

Fri Feb 13 19:24:00 SAST 2009

Hello Astronet
Here is some international news from the IYA secretariat...

-------- Original Message --------
Subject: 	IYA2009 Newsletter
Date: 	Fri, 13 Feb 2009 18:12:13 +0100
From: 	Pedro Russo <prusso at eso.org>
To: 	undisclosed-recipients:;

Dear Friends,

Some short updates from the past week:

*100 Hours of Astronomy:*

·         *Press Release: 100 Hours of Astronomy project kicks off! 
*IYA2009) is about to reach new heights as the Global Cornerstone 
Project, 100 Hours of Astronomy, scheduled to take place from 2--5 April 
2009, ramps up. The project invites amateur astronomers, educators, 
professional astronomers, planetaria, science centres and more to 
arrange events around the world during this 4-day period and to 
publicise them now on the project website. For those wishing to visit 
the frontiers of astronomy from their home, a 24-hour webcast from the 
largest telescopes on the planet will take a unique look behind the 
scenes at state of the art research facilities. 
http://www.astronomy2009.org/news/pressreleases/detail/iya0904/

·         *100 Hours of Astronomy Cornerstone Project UPDATE!*:  The 
excitement is building for the 100 Hours of Astronomy project, an 
unprecedented outreach event taking place around the world 2 - 5 April.  
The 100 Hours of Astronomy Task Group has many resources and programs 
available on the official web site at 
http://www.100hoursofastronomy.org. We hope you'll visit to see what's 
available and spread the word to people in your country or organization: 
http://www.astronomy2009.org/news/updates/150/

·         *100 Hours of Astronomy Poster: *IYA2009 is about to reach new 
heights as the Global Cornerstone Project, 100 Hours of Astronomy, 
scheduled to take place from 2-5 April 2009, ramps up. And now thanks 
James White, 100HA has a new amazing poster: 
http://www.astronomy2009.org/news/updates/149/

*JENAM2009 Symposium: IYA2009 in Europe, JENA2009, 20 -- 23 April 2009, 
Uni. Hertfordshire, UK  *The International Year of Astronomy 2009 is a 
fantastic opportunity for astronomers around the world, and in 
particular, in Europe to showcase the excitement and challenges of 
astronomy today. This symposium focuses on two key aspects of IYA2009: 
outreach in terms of communicating astronomy with the public; the 
educational value of astronomy in attracting young people into science 
and technology studies at school and beyond. The latter is deliberately 
meant to be wide-ranging, from the very young, covered by UNAWE, through 
secondary schooling, covered by GTTP, and career choice beyond. A huge 
number of events are planned across Europe, so contributors are invited 
to share these exciting ideas and because much of the year will remain 
after the meeting, this is an excellent opportunity to learn from each 
other and gather new ideas for events in the latter part of the year. 
More information: http://www.jenam2009.eu**

*NASA's Great Observatories Celebrate International Year of Astronomy 
2009*: in conjunction with Galileo's birthday on Feb. 15, NASA is 
releasing images from its Great Observatories -- the Hubble Space 
Telescope, Spitzer Space Telescope, and Chandra X-ray Observatory -- to 
more than 100 planetariums, museums, nature centers, and schools across 
the country.: http://www.astronomy2009.org/news/updates/146/

*President of the Polish Republic*, Lech Kaczynski, presides over the 
Polish IYA2009 Honour Committee. More info: 
http://www.astronomia2009.pl/2/index.php?id=3

 *Report on StarPeace event between India and Pakistan: *On February 9, 
during a penumbral lunar eclipse, StarPeace connected two countries, 
Pakistan and India, together. Society of the Sun in Pakistan and Kutch 
Amateur Astronomy Club in India organized this event successfully in SOS 
villages of both countries: http://www.astronomy2009.org/news/updates/148/

*British 1894 Astronomer Royal becomes new Cosmic Diary blogger*: The 
Cosmic Diary, has a new participant: Great Britain's Astronomer Royal 
from the year 1894, William Henry Mahony Christie. He will be joined by 
his two assistants, Herbert Hall Turner and Frank Watson Dyson, as they 
each blog in text and images about their lives and work at the Greenwich 
Observatory via the official website: 
http://www.astronomy2009.org/news/updates/151/

*IYA2009 News Round-up: *http://www.astronomy2009.org/news/updates/152/

*Valcato Hosting: *To celebrate IYA2009, Valcato Hosting is offering one 
year of free web hosting for any and all astronomy websites!: 
http://www.valcatohosting.com/

*StarLight: A Common Heritage*: Declaration in Defence of the Night Sky 
and the Right to Starlight and Starlight, A Common Heritage Book are 
available in PDF: http://www.starlight2007.net/

If you need any assistance, remember that the Secretariat is always 
available for you.

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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