[AstroNet] IYA2009 Updates

[Kevin Govender]

from the International office...


-------- Original Message --------
Subject: 	IYA2009 Update
Date: 	Fri, 20 Mar 2009 14:23:18 +0100
From: 	Pedro Russo <prusso at eso.org>
To: 	undisclosed-recipients:;



Dear friends,

Here are some IYA2009 updates from the last week.

*Grants available for IYA2009 projects in Developing Countries
*The IAU and UNESCO are pleased to announce a call for grants proposals 
for IYA2009 projects and activities. If you think you could benefit from 
these, then be sure to find out more by going to 
http://www.developingastronomy.org/activities.php**

*100 hours of Astronomy, 13 days to go!!*
100 Hours of Astronomy is around the corner. We would like to call you 
attention to one of the highest profile activities during the "100 Hours 
of Astronomy" : "Around the world in 80 telescopes", a live 24-hour 
broadcast from the largest and most advanced telescopes in the world 
taking place from 3 April 09:00 UT to 4 April 09:00 UT. We strongly 
encourage you to contact your partners, science centres, planetaria, 
bloggers, web media, broadcasters and press to let them know about this 
event and motivate them to show this program to as many people as possible.
But don't forget all the other events: Opening Event, Live Sceince 
Centers Webcats, 24-hour Global Star Party and Sun Day!
Stay tuned in the 100 Hours of Astronomy website:  
www.100hoursofastronomy.org

*IYA2009 logo has been blasted off into space!
*On 15 March, the Space Shuttle Discovery launched toward the 
International Space Station. On board was Japanese astronaut and IYA2009 
supporter Koichi Wakata. He took with him a special Official Flight Kit 
prepared by the IYA2009 Japan Committee, proudly displaying the IYA2009 
logo. The kit will be brought back to Earth, and displayed in Japan this 
autumn. For more information, please visit http://www.astronomy2009.jp/ 
<http://www.astronomy2009.jp/%20> (Japanese) and 
http://cosmicdiary.org/blogs/jaxa/seiichi_sakamoto/?p=254 
<http://cosmicdiary.org/blogs/jaxa/seiichi_sakamoto/?p=254%20> (English).**

*Star Walk: astronomy for everybody
*Astronomy software for Apple iPhones are being endorsed by IYA2009. 
Learn more about Star Walk here: 
http://www.astronomy2009.org/resources/products/starwalk/

*Hawaiian Starlight - exploring the Universe from Mauna Kea
*For the International Year of Astronomy 2009, the Canada-France-Hawaii 
Telescope (CFHT) is releasing a DVD movie about astronomy from Mauna 
Kea. Click for more information: 
http://www.cfht.hawaii.edu/HawaiianStarlight/iya09.html  
<http://www.cfht.hawaii.edu/HawaiianStarlight/iya09.html> and 
http://www.cfht.hawaii.edu/dvd/
<http://www.cfht.hawaii.edu/dvd/>

*NASA celebrates Sun-Earth Day with illuminating webcast
*NASA scientists will reveal new information and images about our Sun 
and its influence on Earth and the Solar System for Sun-Earth Day, 
recognised each year in conjunction with the spring equinox. The 
highlight of this year's celebration is a webcast for students and 
teachers around the world, beginning at 10 a.m. PDT (1 p.m. EDT), 
Friday, 20 March. For more, go to 
http://sunearthday.nasa.gov/2009/index.php. For streaming TV go to 
http://www.nasa.gov/multimedia/nasatv/index.html**

*ESO Messenger: ESO and the International Year of Astronomy 2009 Opening 
Ceremony
*The European Southern Observatory's contributions to the International 
Year of Astronomy 2009 and the Opening Ceremony, held in Paris in 
January 2009, are summarised in the latest ESO Messenger: 
http://www.eso.org/sci/publications/messenger/archive/no.135-mar09/messenger-no135-54.pdf

*Getting astronomers involved in IYA2009: Astronomer in the Classroom 
Program
*The University of Hawaii Institution for Astronomy and Interstellar 
Studios will be facilitating the exciting new IYA2009 educational 
program, Astronomer in the Classroom, starting next month. They need 
astronomers interested in volunteering three hours for this worthy 
activity. Could this be you? http://www.astronomerintheclassroom.org/**

*Special telescope package and online seminar now available
*IYA2009 is attracting more people to invest in telescopes to observe 
the heavens. But buying an instrument is one thing... using it can be 
quite another! Fortunately, the "Astronomie-Startpaket" is available on 
Amazon's German site, giving a complete package for budding amateur 
astronomers. To learn more, please visit: 
http://www.amazon.de/exec/obidos/ASIN/B001QUBOY4/baaderplanet-21/

*Silicon Valley astronomy lectures IYA2009 event draws almost 900 people 
to talk at Foothill College
*Wednesday, March 4th, over 850 people attended one of the public 
IYA2009 events planned at Foothill College (near San Francisco), as part 
of the Silicon Valley Astronomy Lectures, which is this year celebrating 
its 10th anniversary of bringing free public lectures by noted 
astronomers to a wide public.* *The series is jointly sponsored by: the 
Astronomical Society of the Pacific, the SETI Institute, NASA's Ames 
Research Center, and the Foothill College Astronomy Program.* *For more 
on the series, see: 
http://www.astrosociety.org/education/podcast/index.html* *and a number 
of past events are available as podcasts.    **

*DSA: GLOBE at Night 2009: 16-28 March
*Once again, people around the world are invited to participate in a 
citizen-science programme to monitor local light pollution. If you would 
like to get involved, please visit http://www.globe.gov/GaN/**

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

Pedro, Mariana and Lee
IYA2009 Secretariat 

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