The Thinking Behind IYA2009
Welcome back!
It has been agreed by the International Astronomical Union, supported by the United Nations, that 2009 will be designated as The International Year of Astronomy. (IYA2009, for ease of reference).
Primarily, 2009 was chosen to coincide with the 400th anniversary of when Galileo first applied his telescope to the study of the Night Sky. In the course of these early astronomical observations, he discovered things like the moons of Jupiter, the phases of Venus and the cratered surface of our own Moon. These astonishing discoveries forever changed so much of mankind’s scientific knowledge and religious belief.
It occurs to me that 2009 will also be the 40th anniversary of the first Moon landings, when astronauts of the US Apollo space programme first set foot on a world other than the Earth.
I well remember those momentous events. As a child, I followed them in awe on television, guided by the BBC’s science presenters of the time.
The intention for IYA2009 is for it to be an international celebration of astronomy. Countries from all over the World will take part. Local, regional and national groups and societies, will hold events to explain and encourage widespread interest in astronomy and also other sciences. It is intended for the maximum number of people to become more aware of astronomy and the fundamental questions about the Universe that it seeks to investigate and answer.
Much planning is already underway, with coordinators in many countries being appointed to oversee the many, many events that are hoped to take place.
