The Canadian launch of the International Year of Astronomy (IYA2009)
The year 2009 has been declared the International Year of
Astronomy (IYA) by the United Nations (UNESCO) and Canada’s official launch of this
historic occasion is Saturday, January 10th.
This year not only marks the 400th anniversary of when the
famous Italian astronomer, Galileo Galilei was the first to observe the heavens
with a newly invented optical instrument called a telescope, but it marks the
scientific achievements of humankind over same period. The IYA is meant to be a worldwide, yearlong
education and public-outreach event, with special emphasis on youth and
children. Checkout the national website
at: www.astronomy2009.ca
Come join the Peterborough Astronomical Association in
conjunction with the Peterborough
Museum and Archives, at
Armour Hill this Saturday from 7:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. If the weather permits,
there will be telescopes to view the largest full Moon of 2009, as it will be
at it’s closest to earth that it will be for the whole year! There may even be some planets to view up
close, like Venus or Mercury. There will
potentially be much to see from constellations, to
galaxies, to star clusters, to nebula!
This evening does not depend on the weather though. If the telescopes cannot be pointed skyward,
then there will be an indoor display of observing gear, slide shows of the
heavens and even a portable planetarium show!
This is an all ages, free public event for anyone who wants
to explore the heavens and see what Galileo was up to in 1609.
For more information contact:
Rick Stankiewicz, President
10 Hazel Cres., R.R. #8
Peterborough, ON K9J
6X9
705-755-1807 (Day)
705-295-6158 (Evening)
stankiewiczr@nexicom.net