Saturday, November 28, 2009

The International Year of Astronomy, 2009







The International Year of Astronomy, 2009, will be a year-long, worldwide, public celebration of astronomy, held to mark the 400th anniversary of Galileo turning a telescope to the sky. The Year has been endorsed by UNESCO.
IYA2009 is being coordinated by the International Astronomical Union, the international body that represesents the world’s professional astronomers. However, almost all activities will be organised at the level of a country or region.
Each country has a “national node” for coordinating the activities within that country. An advisory group has been convened to help guide the development of activities for the year.
IYA2009 is a chance to shine a spotlight on astronomy — a chance for those who love astronomy to communicate their excitement to the rest of the population.

Webcast
The Vatican Advanced Technology Telescope (VATT) is one of the sites featured in the webcast "Around the World in 80 Telescopes" as a part of the ongoing 100 Hours of Astronomy, running from April 2-5, a centerpoint of the International Year of Astronomy. The webcast can be seen at:




Specola astronomer Fr. Richard Boyle SJ will be webcasting at the Vatican's Observatory on Mt. Graham, Arizona, on the evening of April 3, from 11:35-11.50 p.m. Arizona Time; that is 8:35 - 8:50 a.m. on the morning of April 4, Rome Time.




Vatican Advanced Technology Telescope (VATT) comprises the Alice P. Lennon Telescope and the Thomas J. Bannan Astrophysics Facility.Speaker: Dr. Richard P. Boyle, S.J.


Vatican City State celebrates IYA2009
Nov 2, 2009
The Governorate of the Vatican City State and the Vatican Observatory organised a celebration of the International Year of Astronomy 2009 in Vatican City on 30 and 31 October.
The two-day celebration included an address at the Pontifical Academy of Sciences by Prof. John Huchra of Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics and President of the American Astronomical Society with the title "From Galileo to Hubble: Astronomy in the 21st Century".