The International Year of Astronomy is a year-long celebration of astronomy, taking place in 2009 to coincide with the 400th anniversary of the first recorded astronomical observations with a telescope by Galileo Galilei and the publication of Johannes Kepler's Astronomia nova in the 17th Century. The Year was declared by the 62nd General Assembly of the UN. A global scheme, laid out by the International Astronomical Union (IAU), has also been endorsed by UNESCO - the UN body responsible for Educational, Scientific and Cultural matters.

The International Astronomical Union and UNESCO are coordinating the International Year of Astronomy in 2009. This initiative is an opportunity for the citizens of Earth to gain a deeper insight into astronomy’s role in enriching all human cultures. Moreover, it will serve as a platform for informing the public about the latest astronomical discoveries while emphasizing the essential role of astronomy in science education.

Significance of 1609

In 1609, Galileo Galilei first turned one of his telescopes to the night sky and made astounding discoveries that changed mankind’s conception of the world forever: mountains and craters on the Moon, a plethora of stars invisible to the naked eye and moons around Jupiter. Astronomical observatories around the world promise to reveal how planets and stars are formed, how galaxies assemble and evolve, and what the structure and shape of our Universe actually are. In the same year, Johannes Kepler published his work Astronomia nova in which he described the fundamental laws of planetary motions.

On 25th September 1608, Hans Lippershey, a young man from Middleburg, travelled to the Hague, the then capital of the Netherlands, to demonstrate one of his inventions to the Dutch government - the telescope. Although Hans was not awarded the patent, Galileo heard of this story and decided to use the "Dutch perspective glass" and point it towards the heavens.

Vision of IYA2009

The vision of IYA2009 is to help people rediscover their place in the Universe through the sky, and thereby engage a personal sense of wonder and discovery. IYA2009 activities will take place locally, nationally, regionally and internationally. National Nodes have been formed in each country to prepare activities for 2009. These nodes will establish collaborations between professional and amateur astronomers, science centres and science communicators to prepare activities for 2009. More than 100 countries are already involved, and well over 140 are expected to participate eventually. To help coordinate this huge global programme and to provide an important resource for the participating countries, the IAU has established a central Secretariat and an IYA2009 website as the principal IYA2009 resource for public, professionals and media alike.

Aims of IYA2009

Astronomy, the oldest science in history, has played an important role in most, if not all, cultures over the ages. The International Year of Astronomy 2009 (IYA2009) is intended to be a global celebration of astronomy and its contributions to society and culture, stimulating worldwide interest not only in astronomy, but in science in general, with a particular slant towards young people.

The IYA2009 is intended to mark the monumental leap forward that followed Galileo’s first use of the telescope for astronomical observations, and portray astronomy as a peaceful global scientific endeavour that unites amateur and professional astronomers in an international and multicultural family that works together to find answers to some of the most fundamental questions that humankind has ever asked. The aim of the Year is to stimulate worldwide interest, especially among young people, in astronomy and science under the central theme “The Universe, Yours to Discover”.

Several committees have been formed to oversee the vast majority of IYA2009 activities (“sidewalk astronomy” events in planetariums and public observatories), which will span local, regional and national levels. These committees are collaborations between professional and amateur astronomers, science centres and science communicators. Individual countries will be undertaking their own initiatives as well as assessing their own national needs, while the IAU will be acting as the event’s coordinator and catalyst on a global scale. The IAU plans to liaise with, and involve, as many as possible of the ongoing outreach and education efforts throughout the world, including those organized by amateur astronomers.

Goals of IYA2009

The major goals of IYA2009 are to:

1. Increase scientific awareness;
2. Promote widespread access to new knowledge and observing experiences;
3. Empower astronomical communities in developing countries;
4. Support and improve formal and informal science education;
5. Provide a modern image of science and scientists;
6. Facilitate new networks and strengthen existing ones;
7. Improve the gender-balanced representation of scientists at all levels and promote greater involvement by underrepresented minorities in scientific and engineering careers;
8. Facilitate the preservation and protection of the world's cultural and natural heritage of dark skies in places such as urban oases, national parks and astronomical sites.

As part of the scheme, the IYA2009 will also help less well-established organizations from the developing world to become involved with larger organizations and deliver their contributions, linked via a huge global network. This initiative also aims at reaching economically disadvantaged young children across the globe and enhance their understanding of the world.

The IAU IYA2009 Secretariat

The central hub of the IAU activities for the IYA2009 is the Secretariat. This was established to coordinate activities during the planning, execution and evaluation of the Year. The Secretariat is based in the European Southern Observatory headquarters in the town of Garching near Munich, Germany. The Secretariat will liaise continuously with the National Nodes, Task Groups, Partners and Organizational Associates, the media and the general public to ensure the progress of the IYA2009 at all levels. The Secretariat and the [1] website are the most important coordination and resource centers for all the countries taking part, but most particularly for those developing countries that lack the national resources to mount major events alone.

Organizational Associates

The IYA2009 Organisational Associates are Organisations, Institutions and Agencies related to astronomy, space science and natural science which support the global coordination of IYA2009 financially. The IYA2009 Organisational Associates enjoy full involvement in IYA2009 with rights and benefits.

As of 19th November 2008, the current list of Organizational Associates is:

American Astronomical Society
European Southern Observatory
Canadian Astronomical Society
L’Institut National des Sciences de l’Univers
National Research Council Canada
Sterrewacht Leiden
Nederlandse Onderzoekschool Voor Astronomie
Science & Technology Facilities Council
The Society for Popular Astronomy
Swiss Academy of Sciences
National Astronomical Observatory of Japan
Ministerio de Educación y Ciencia (Spain)
European Science Foundation
National Aeronautics and Space Administration
Deutsches Zentrum für Luft- und Raumfahrt
Centre National d’Etudes Spatiales
The Planetary Society
Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency
Centre National d'Etudes Spatiales
Armagh Planetarium
Indian Space Research Organisation
International Center for Relativistic Astrophysics Network
NASA Lunar Science Institute
Nordic Optical Telescope

Cornerstone projects

The International Year of Astronomy 2009 is supported by eleven Cornerstone projects. These are global programs of activities centered on specific themes and are some of the projects that will help to achieve IYA2009's main goals; whether it is the support and promotion of women in astronomy, the preservation of dark-sky sites around the world or educating and explaining the workings of the Universe to millions, the eleven Cornerstones will be key elements in the success of IYA2009.

100 Hours of Astronomy

100 Hours of Astronomy (100HA) is a worldwide astronomy event scheduled for April 2-5, 2009 and is part of the scheduled global activities of the International Year of Astronomy 2009. The main goals of 100HA is to have as many people throughout the world look through a telescope just as Galileo did for the first time 400 years ago. Plans include special webcasts, students and teachers activities, a schedule of events at science centers, planetariums and science museums as well as 24 hours of sidewalk astronomy, which will allow the opportunity for public observing sessions to as many people as possible.^[1]

The Galileoscope

This IYA2009 program wants to share a personal experience of practical astronomical observation with as many people as possible across the world. It is collaborating with the US IYA2009 National Node to develop a simple, accessible, easy-to-assemble and easy-to-use telescope that can be distributed by the millions. In theory, every participant in an IYA2009 event should be able to take home one of these little telescopes, enabling them to observe with an instrument similar to Galileo's.

Cosmic Diary

The Cosmic Diary is not about the science of astronomy, but about what it is like to be an astronomer. Professionals will blog in text and images about their life, families, friends, hobbies and interests, as well as their work, latest research findings and the challenges they face. The bloggers represent a vibrant cross-section of working astronomers from around the world. They write in many different languages and come from five continents. They have also written feature article "explanations" about their specialist fields, which are highlighted the website. NASA, ESA and ESO all have sub-blogs as part of the Cosmic Diary Cornerstone.

The Portal to the Universe

The Portal to the Universe (PTTU) seeks to provide a global, one-stop portal for online astronomy content, serving as an index, aggregator and a social networking site for astronomy content providers, laypeople, press, educators, decision-makers and scientists. PTTU will feature news, image, event and video aggregation; a comprehensive directory of observatories, facilities, astronomical societies, amateur astronomy societies, space artists, science communication universities; and Web 2.0 collaborative tools, such as the ranking of different services according to popularity, to promote interaction within the astronomy multimedia community. In addition, a range of "widgets" (small applications) will be developed to tap into existing "live data". Modern technology and the standardisation of metadata make it possible to tie all the suppliers of such information together with a single, semi-automatically updating portal.

She is an Astronomer

Promoting gender equality and empowering women is one of the United Nations Millennium Development Goals. She is an Astronomer will promote gender equality in astronomy (and science in general), tackling bias issues by providing a web platform where information and links about gender balance and related resources are collected. The aim of the project is to provide neutral, informative and accessible information to female professional and amateur astronomers, students, and those who are interested in the gender equality problem in science. It is hoped that providing this information will help increase the interest of young females to study and pursue a career in astronomy. An objective of the project is to build and maintain an internet based, easy-to-handle forum and database, where people regardless of geographical location can read about the subject, ask questions and find answers. There will also be the option to discuss astronomy sector specific problems, such as observing times and family duties.

Dark Skies Awareness

For this Cornerstone project the IAU will collaborate with the US National Optical Astronomy Observatory (NOAO), representatives of the International Dark-Sky Association (IDA), the Starlight Initiative and other national and international partners in dark sky and environmental education on several related themes. The focus will be on three main citizen-scientist programs to measure local levels of light pollution. These programs will take the form of "star hunts" or "star counts", providing people with a fun and direct way to acquire heightened awareness about light pollution through firsthand observations of the night sky. Together the three programs will cover the entire International Year of Astronomy 2009, namely GLOBE at Night (in March), the Great World Wide Star Count (in October) and How Many Stars (January, February, April through September, November and December).

IAU/UNESCO Astronomy and World Heritage

UNESCO and the IAU are working together to implement a research and education collaboration as part of UNESCO's thematic initiative, Astronomy and World Heritage. The main objective is to establish a link between science and culture on the basis of research aimed at acknowledging the cultural and scientific values of properties connected with astronomy. This programme provides an opportunity to identify properties related to astronomy located around the world, to preserve their memory and save them from progressive deterioration. Support from the international community is needed to implement this activity and to promote the recognition of astronomical knowledge through the nomination of sites that celebrate achievements in science.

Galileo Teacher Training Program

The International Year of Astronomy 2009 (IYA2009) provides an excellent opportunity to engage the formal education community in the excitement of astronomical discovery as a vehicle for improving the teaching of science in classrooms around the world. To help train teachers in effective astronomy communication and to sustain the legacy of IYA2009, the IAU — in collaboration with the National Nodes and leaders in the field such as the Global Hands-On Universe project, the US National Optical Astronomy Observatory and the Astronomical Society of the Pacific — is embarking on a unique global effort to empower teachers by developing the Galileo Teacher Training Program (GTTP). The GTTP goal is to create a worldwide network of certified "Galileo Ambassadors" by 2012. These Ambassadors will train "Galileo Master Teachers" in the effective use and transfer of astronomy education tools and resources into classroom science curricula. The Galileo Teachers will be equipped to train other teachers in these methodologies, leveraging the work begun during IYA2009 in classrooms everywhere. Through workshops, online training tools and basic education kits, the products and techniques developed by this program can be adapted to reach locations with few resources of their own, as well as computer-connected areas that can take advantage of access to robotic optical and radio telescopes, webcams, astronomy exercises, cross-disciplinary resources, image processing and digital universes (web and desktop planetariums).

Universe Awareness

Universe Awareness (UNAWE) is an international program that exposes very young children in under-privileged environments to the scale and beauty of the Universe. Universe Awareness illustrates the multicultural origins of modern astronomy in an effort to broaden children's minds, awaken their curiosity in science and stimulate global citizenship and tolerance. Using the sky and children's natural fascination with it as common ground, UNAWE creates an international awareness of our place in the Universe and our place on Earth.

From Earth to the Universe

The Cornerstone project From Earth to the Universe (FETTU) endeavors to bring wonderful astronomical images to a wider audience in non-traditional venues. In delivering these images and the science behind them to public parks, metro stations, art centers and other locations, it is hoped that individuals who might normally ignore or even dislike astronomy, or science in general will be engaged.

Developing Astronomy Globally

This Cornerstone project acknowledges that astronomy needs to be developed in three key areas: professionally (universities and research); publicly (communication, media, and amateur groups) and educationally (schools and informal education structures). The focus will be on regions that do not already have strong astronomical communities. The implementation will be centred on training, development and networking in each of these three key areas. This Cornerstone will use the momentum of IYA2009 to help establish and enhance regional structures and networks that work on the development of astronomy around the world. These networks will support the current and future development work of the IAU and other programmes and should ensure that developing regions can benefit from IYA2009 and the work of the other Cornerstone projects. It should also address the question of the contribution of astronomy to development.