Release date – 29 December 2008
The Universe is yours to discover in the International Year of
Astronomy 2009
29 December 2008, Paris: With 2009 just over the horizon, stargazers
around the world are busy preparing for the International Year of Astronomy.
A staggering 135 nations collaborate on bringing the Universe closer to
Earth. Events and activities will take place over the coming 365 days and
beyond, in a spectacle of cosmic proportions.
The International Year of Astronomy 2009 (IYA2009) has been launched by
the International Astronomical Union (IAU) and the United Nations
Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) under the theme,
“The Universe, yours to discover”.
The official IYA2009 Opening Ceremony will take place in Paris on 15 and
16 January 2009, and the press is invited to attend. It will feature keynote
speakers, including Nobel Laureates, and live video feeds to scientists
working in remote locations. Many nations are holding their own Opening
Ceremonies in January and February, showing their dedication to the Year.
But events will begin before then. Don’t be surprised to see telescopes on
the streets on New Year’s Day. The IYA2009 Solar Physics Group have been
busy planning a grand worldwide campaign, with more than 30 countries
involved at more than 150 venues, which will see amateur stargazers set up
their telescopes on pavements as well as in science centres, letting
passers-by observe the Sun using special safety equipment.
The Cosmic Diary is an example of a global activity occurring during
2009, with the release of its official website on New Year’s Day. The
project concerns the daily lives of full-time astronomers. More than 50
bloggers, professionals from over 35 countries and employed by organisations
such as ESO, NASA, ESA and JAXA have already begun producing content,
writing about their lives, the work they conduct and the challenges they
face. The public can see what being an astronomer is really like, and how
ground-breaking research is conducted. Another project, 365 Days of
Astronomy, will publish one podcast per day over the entire year. The
episodes will be written, recorded and produced by people around the world.
100 Hours of Astronomy, another IYA2009 Cornerstone project, is a
worldwide event taking place from 2–5 April 2009, with a wide range of
public outreach activities including live webcasts, observing events and
more. One of the key goals of 100 Hours of Astronomy is to have as many
people as possible look through a telescope, just as Galileo did for the
first time 400 years ago.
The From Earth to the Universe (FETTU) project is an exhibition arranged
by the IYA2009 that will bring large-scale astronomical images to a wide
public audience in non-traditional venues such as public parks and gardens,
art museums, shopping malls and metro stations. Over 30 countries around the
world are currently in the development phase of FETTU projects, many with
multiple locations. Some 15 countries plan to begin FETTU exhibitions within
the first month of 2009, ranging in size from 25 to over 100 images on
display. FETTU will be introduced to the global community at the Opening
Ceremony at UNESCO headquarters in January 2009.
One of IYA2009’s aims is to raise awareness of light pollution, and how
the beauty of the night sky is progressively being drowned out, particularly
over urban areas. The project Dark Skies Awareness is tackling these issues
head-on in a practical, inclusive manner. One way in which it is doing this
is by holding star-counting events, where the public are encouraged to see
how many stars in a particular area of the sky are actually visible from
their location. When compared with data from truly dark sites, the results
are often very surprising! The “How Many Stars” event will run from January
2009.
A list of event highlights is available on the official IYA2009 website. From there it is also possible to
contact the National Nodes, responsible for organising local events in the
many participating countries.
During 2009, the sky will provide some exciting events, including the
longest total solar eclipse of the 21st century, occurring on 22 July 2009
and lasting 6 minutes 39 seconds over a narrow corridor through countries
including India, Bangladesh and China. A strong shower of Leonid meteors is
also expected in mid-November 2009, with forecasters predicting upwards of
an incredible 500 shooting stars per hour. In mid-October in the northern
hemisphere, Jupiter will be placed at dusk, a perfect time to show public
the giant planet and its moons. These are an impressive sight through even a
small amateur telescope.
IYA2009 seeks to involve the public at large in its activities, and to
this end amateur astronomers have been called upon to help organise and run
events. Known for their enthusiasm, this army of helpers is growing every
day, preparing to promote astronomy in a stunning variety of ways. In fact,
so many thousands of people across the globe are already involved, they have
formed the world’s largest ever astronomy network.
Catherine Cesarsky, IAU President, says:
"135 countries have committed themselves to the
Year, all pulling together toward the common aim of
making astronomy accessible to the public. IYA2009 will
reinforce the links between science education and
science careers, stimulating a long-term increase in
student enrolment in the fields of science and
technology and an appreciation for lifelong learning.”
With such a range of activities planned, now is the ideal time to learn
more about the cosmos and our place within it. The International Year of
Astronomy 2009 promises to make the Universe yours to discover, beginning on
1 January 2009.
###
Notes for editors
IYA2009 marks the 400th anniversary of Galileo Galilei’s first
astronomical observation through a telescope. It is nothing short of a
worldwide celebration, promoting astronomy and its contribution to society
and culture, with events at regional, national, and global levels.
The IAU is the international astronomical organisation that brings
together almost 10 000 distinguished astronomers from all nations of the
world. Its mission is to promote and safeguard the science of astronomy in
all its aspects through international cooperation. The IAU also serves as
the internationally recognised authority for assigning designations to
celestial bodies and surface features on them. Founded in 1919, the IAU is
the world’s largest professional body for astronomers.
IYA2009 welcome video: A special welcome video for IYA2009 is available.
Hosted by Catherine Cesarsky, President of the International Astronomical
Union, it is approximately five minutes in length and available in English,
French and Spanish. The video is available for download from
www.astronomy2009.org.
Additional information:
IYA2009 website:
www.astronomy2009.org
IYA2009 Opening Events:
www.astronomy2009.org/events
Opening Ceremony Media accreditation:
www.astronomy2009.org/opening
UNESCO IYA2009 website:
www.unesco.org/iya2009
Opening Ceremony website:
http://www.astronomy2009.org/opening
Dawn of IYA2009 (Solar Physics Group) website:
www.solarastronomy2009.org
Cosmic Diary website (active 1 January 2009):
www.cosmicdiary.org
356 Days of Astronomy:
http://365daysofastronomy.org
100 Hours of Astronomy:
www.100hoursofastronomy.org
From Earth To The Universe:
www.fromearthtotheuniverse.org
Dark Skies Awareness:
www.darkskiesawareness.org
International Astronomical Union website:
www.iau.org
IYA2009 welcome video:
www.astronomy2009.org/resources/multimedia/videos/
For more information:
IAU IYA2009 Coordinator
Pedro Russo
ESO ePOD
Karl-Schwarzschild-Strasse 2
D-85748 Garching bei München Germany
Tel: +49 89 320 06 195
Cell: +351 96285 4775 / +49 17661100211
Fax: +49 89 320 23 62
E-mail: prusso@eso.org
Further contacts
Yolanda Berenguer
UNESCO Focal Point for the International Year of Astronomy 2009
UNESCO HQ, Paris
Tel: +33-1-45684171
E-mail: y.berenguer@unesco.org
Dr. Karel A. van der Hucht
General Secretary, International Astronomical Union
IAU Secretariat, Paris, France
Tel: +33-1-43-25-83-58
E-mail: K.A.van.der.Hucht@sron.nl
IAU Press Officer
Lars Lindberg Christensen
ESO ePOD, Garching, Germany
Tel: +49 89 3200 6761
Cellular: +49-173-3872-621
E-mail: lars@eso.org
During last years, our
center accomplished a lot of activities, with the presence
of many participants and students from Tirana, Durrësi,
Shkodra and Vlora. Co-operating with 'Uranoscope d'e France'
we also observed the sky outside of our country.
Future activities of QSHA:
Activty 1,
“100 Hours of Astronomy” is a
cornerstone project of IYA. During 100 hours, from 2 to 5
April, millions of people all over the world will
participate in activities of sky discovering and
observation.
| Date |
Organizer |
Place |
Hour |
Title of activity |
Description |
| 2 April |
QSHA |
FSHN, Tiranë |
1700 |
From Galileu to us |
Observation of
interesting sky objects with our 20cm telescope.
Demonstration of Galileu telescope.
Photo. |
| 3 April |
QSHA & Aleance
Francaise de Tirana |
FSHN, Tiranë |
1200-1600 |
Around the world with 80
telescopes |
Discussion about
actual work on the most powerful telescopes in the
world. |
| 4 April |
QSHA |
Dajti mountain,
Tiranë |
1900 |
Stars, Constellations, Celestial Sphere |
Lecture about
orientation in the sky. |
Activty 2,
Star’s night in Tirana.
|
Date |
Short description |
|
20 june 2009 |
For several hours, dozens of students from high school “Aleks Buda”, members of
Aleance Franceze in Tirana and also members of the association “Ex-students in France” observed the Saturn and the Moon.
In the building B of Faculty of Natural Sciences, two poles of interesting
scientific discussion has been created: in the roof, where the telescope showed Saturn’s rings; in the
hall of the third floor around a astrophoto’s exposition, gift of French Embassy in Tirana.
Photo 1,
Photo 2,
Photo 3,
Photo 4,
Photo 5.
|
Activty 3, Conference on "Astronomy during 400 years".
|
Date |
Short description |
|
3 October 2009 |
Conference on the history of astronomy, the
traces in our country, the future of this science. |
Here are some of our
past activities:
-
Total Solar Eclipse in
Egypt. 2006 March 29. Co-operating with Uranoscope de
France,
Photo.
-
Transit of Venus. June
2004.
-
Transit of Mercury.
May 2003,
Photo.
-
Viewing Mars when it
is closest to the Earth from thousands of years ,
Photo.
-
Aurora Borealis in
Finland, co-operating with the Uranoscope de France.
February 2003,
Photo
-
Vishnje, August 2002.
The first night of the stars in Albania.
Photo 1,
Photo 2.
Albanian Team:
Mimoza Hafizi, Herald Buneci, Ervin Kafexhiu, Abdyl Berisha, Onelda Bardho,
Pranvera Dhima.
