As many of you may be aware, 2009 is the International Year of Astronomy.
From the IYA 2009 website

Many organizations are sponsoring events to help celebrate IYA 2009. This thread is intended to allow you to tell people about your events or other activitities, or to get group or individual ideas for things to do.

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At night the stars put on a show for free (Carole King)

One Earth, One Sky - IYA 2009
All moderation in purple

Lake Metroparks is having the Astronomy Extravaganza on Saturday, January 24, starting at 6:30 PM at the Penitentiary Glen Nature Center in Kirtland. This is the first of a series of events, planned through-out the year, to celebrate the International Year of Astronomy. Activities include the inflatable STARLAB planetarium, telescopes, astronomical demonstrations, and crafts.

Website for more information

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At night the stars put on a show for free (Carole King)

One Earth, One Sky - IYA 2009
All moderation in purple

I just put up the 6th Astronomical Challenge, which is a BAUT astronomy trivia quiz. This year, it focuses on Galileo and the International Year of Astronomy.

There is also the Solar IYA 2009: http://solarastronomy2009.org/

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Lighten up! This is a stellar board!

my tiny little bit for today...i intend to do more serious stuff, with Flynn, my baby and his friends...

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clear skies

If you want to make an apple pie from scratch, you must first create the universe. CARL SAGAN

Mak: Pass the pepperoni please.
Fazor: "Hail, Bautainia! We pledge our hearts to thee! Science and woo, some babbling too, and astron-oh-meee!"
slang: And it made ash out of yew and tree.

A private observatory was built by Gov. Sir Thomas Brisbane in 1822 at the Government Domain Parramatta, now Parramatta Park in western Sydney, NSW, Australia

It was at the Parramatta observatory that the first extensive and systematic cataloguing of the Southern Skies was carried out by astronomers Charles Rumker and James Dunlop, who were employed by Brisbane. The site was used as the meridian mark for surveyor Thomas Mitchell’s first trigonometric survey of Australia in 1828.

In 1831, the HMS Beagle commanded by Captain Robert FitzRoy and with Charles Darwin on board, completed an important task of estimating the longitudinal bearings at several islands across the Pacific Ocean from South America to the East coast of Australia using 22 chronometers (nautical timekeeping instruments). The estimates of longitude were checked against the known and accurate measure available at Governor Brisbane’s Parramatta Observatory. This research helped to establish the use of longitude estimates determined by chronometers and was a major surveying task.

A major focus in Australia of the International Year of Astronomy program is a conference celebrating the recording of galaxy Centaurus A (NGC128) discovered on August 4, 1826 by James Dunlop at the Parramatta observatory in Australia. It is number 482 in his "A Catalogue of Nebulae and Clusters of Stars in the Southern Hemisphere observed in New South Wales", in: Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society, Vol. 118, p. 113-151 (1828).

The observatory building fell into ruin and was demolished in 1847.The stone telescope piers remain, together with three marker trees and a commemorative marble obelisk memorial was erected in 1880 at the suggestion of John Tebutt of Windsor. Many of the original observatory instruments are now located in the Powerhouse Museum’s collection at Sydney Observatory.

Archaeology & Heritage has been commissioned by the Parramatta Park Trust to undertake an exploratory investigation of the site of the observatory and the remnant telescope piers. Only the telescope piers remain in situ. The purpose is to investigate and confirm the footings of the original observatory buildings and to understand the significance of this internationally significant astronomy site to help Parramatta Park Trust guide and direct future conservation and interpretation of the remnant stones and site. A limited 1988 archaeological investigation found the location of the observatory building corners.

During the dig, which will be held over three days Friday 17 April to Sunday 19 April, Anne Bickford and her team will give daily talks at 11 am and 2 pm.

Subsequently on 2nd May there will be a starviewing at the park:

Date and Time: 6.pm – 10.30 pm, Saturday 2 May.
Location: Parramatta Park
Star viewing and talks by the archaeologist.
Free entry
Enquiries and information - Parramatta Park Trust 02 8833 5000

Canada Post Astronomy Stamps:

http://www.canadapost.ca/cpo/mc/pers..._astronomy.jsf

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" The universe is running away
I heard it on the news just the other day
There's this new stuff called dark energy
We can't measure and we can't see..." - from Jimmy Buffett's What if the hokey pokey is all it really is about?

I no longer collect stamps, but those are nice. I suspect other governments will do the same. A collection of all the IYA stamps would be pretty cool.

__________________
At night the stars put on a show for free (Carole King)

One Earth, One Sky - IYA 2009
All moderation in purple

Check out google's tribute to the 400th anniversary of Galileo's telescope today!

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At night the stars put on a show for free (Carole King)

One Earth, One Sky - IYA 2009
All moderation in purple

Is that what that is? Cool.