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15-01-2009
2009: the International Year of Astronomy
| Submitter: | Tom Oosterloo |
| Description: | Today, the International Astronomical Union (IAU) launched 2009 as the International Year of Astronomy (IYA2009). IYA2009 marks the 400th anniversary of the first astronomical observation through a telescope by Galileo Galilei. 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". IYA2009 events and activities will promote a greater appreciation of the inspirational aspects of astronomy that embody an invaluable shared resource for all nations. The IYA2009 activities will take place at global and especially at national and local levels. Is there a more appropriate way to celebrate this than by forming a world-sized radio telescope? The WSRT in the Netherlands participates in a global effort to observe distant quasars almost continuously for 33 hours, together with radio telescopes in Japan, Australia, China, Europe, USA and Chile. The curious mind may look into how such a grandiose experiment including some of the worlds greatest individual radio telescopes is carried out. See the JIVE press release: http://www.expres-eu.org/IYA2009_opening.html Follow the experiment through the JIVE IYA webpages in realtime: http://www.expres-eu.org/iya2009/ |
| Copyright: | IAU |
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