Dear all,

I would like to call your attention to the latest IYA2009 Press
Release: 100 Hours of Astronomy project kicks off!

http://astronomy2009.org/news/pressreleases/detail/iya0904/

Please make sure that you register your 100 Hour of Astronomy events
on

www.100hoursofastronomy.org

If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to contact the
IYA2009 Secretariat and the 100 Hours of Astronomy project:

http://www.100hoursofastronomy.org/contact

Kind regards,

Pedro

News Release - IYA0904: 100 Hours of Astronomy project kicks off!

http://astronomy2009.org/news/pressreleases/detail/iya0904/

Feb 10, 2009, Paris

The International Year of Astronomy 2009 (IYA2009) is about to reach
new heights as the Global Cornerstone Project, 100 Hours of Astronomy,
scheduled to take place from 2–5 April 2009, ramps up. The project
invites amateur astronomers, educators, professional astronomers,
planetaria, science centres and more to arrange events around the
world during this 4-day period and to publicise them now on the
project website. For those wishing to visit the frontiers of astronomy
from their home, a 24-hour webcast from the largest telescopes on the
planet will take a unique look behind the scenes at state of the art
research facilities.

100 Hours of Astronomy is the single largest event taking place during
IYA2009. It is a worldwide celebration composed of a broad range of
activities aimed at involving the public. The event will take place
over four days and nights, from 2-5 April 2009 (local time). During
this period, people from around the globe will share the experience of
observing the sky. For many, it will be their first glimpse of the
wonders of the heavens through a telescope. For others, it is the
perfect opportunity to impart their knowledge and excitement, helping
unveil the cosmos to fresh and eager eyes.

The two highest profile activities are a live 24-hour observatory
webcast from the largest telescopes in the world, and 100 hours of
sidewalk astronomy events. The former will take place from 3 April
09:00 UT to 4 April 09:00 UT, when astronomers at professional
observatories around the world will show their telescope domes and
control rooms, giving an insider's view of these cutting-edge
scientific facilities.

Mike Simmons, Co-Chair, elaborates: "This 100 Hours of Astronomy
project is key to the International Year of Astronomy 2009.
Astronomers are known for their enthusiasm and love of sharing
knowledge, which are the main ingredients of 100 Hours of Astronomy.
It's going to be an amazing time, as nothing of this scale has been
attempted before. Every participant will be making history!"

For the 100 hours of sidewalk astronomy events, amateur, enthusiast
and professional astronomers will combine their efforts to encourage
as many people as possible to look through a telescope as Galileo did
for the first time 400 years ago. The sidewalk events will peak with a
24-hour Global Star Party on 4 April (from local dusk to dawn),
organised together with Sidewalk Astronomers and International
Sidewalk Astronomy Night. Here telescopes around the world will be
available for use, free of charge, allowing people to peer into space
at breathtaking objects. Some traditional favourites will be ideally
placed in the night sky for observation. These include the Moon, which
is an astounding sight through a telescope, with its alien, yet
strangely familiar, cratered landscape; and the planet Saturn, with
its beautiful rings, once seen, never forgotten. That people from so
many nations will be gazing up at the sky simultaneously, linked
together by their common home in the Universe, is an inspiring
realisation.

To keep track of developments and to promote sidewalk astronomy events
effectively during the 100 hours, events are registered on

www.100hoursofastronomy.org.

Hundreds of activities have already been added, and the number is
expected to balloon to even more impressive levels over the coming
weeks. Anyone can set up an event, whether it is screening astronomy
videos for a few hours on a single day or a 100-hour marathon event;
only imagination sets the limit. The activities and events of 100
Hours of Astronomy will bring fresh audiences to astronomy and perhaps
inspire young and budding scientists to pursue a career in astronomy.

Douglas Pierce-Price, 100 Hours of Astronomy Co-Chair, notes: "Every
day we receive information about more events planned during the
100-hour window. The list is getting longer and pins are popping up
all over our map of the world!"

The 100 Hours of Astronomy Opening Event will take place on 2 April
2009 at The Franklin Institute in Philadelphia, USA. Hosted by US
national spokesman Derrick Pitts and featuring world-renowned Galileo
expert Dr. Paolo Galluzzi, the interactive educational event will
showcase Galileo's original telescope - the telescope first trained on
the night skies - on loan for an exclusive exhibition entitled
"Galileo, the Medici and the Age of Astronomy". There will also be a
live science centre webcast discussing hot topics in astronomy.

Thousands of local events are being planned by science facilities and
astronomy enthusiasts around the world, including telescope observing
sessions, exhibitions, special shows and more. In many countries there
will be public lectures by specially selected speakers, experts in
astronomy, keen to participate in this planet-wide venture.

100 Hours of Astronomy is a venture of breathtaking scope that seeks
to involve people from all walks of life around the globe and conveys
a multitude of messages, from the personal benefit of astronomical
knowledge to the pressing issue of curbing light pollution. Clear your
agenda now for 100 hours of discovery!

Links

100Hours of Astronomy website: www.100hoursofastronomy.org
IYA2009 website: www.astronomy2009.org


For more information:

Mike Simmons
100 Hours of Astronomy Co-Chair
Astronomers without Borders
Tel.: +1 818 597 0223
Cell : +1 818 486 7633
E-mail: msimm@...

Douglas Pierce-Price
100 Hours of Astronomy Co-Chair
ESO ePOD, Garching, Germany
Tel.: +49 89 320 06 759
E-mail: dpiercep@...

Further contacts

Pedro Russo
IAU IYA2009 Coordinator
ESO ePOD, Garching, Germany
Tel: +49 89 320 06 195
Cellular: +49 176 6110 0211
Fax: +49 89 320 23 62
E-mail: prusso@...

Yolanda Berenguer
UNESCO Focal Point for the International Year of Astronomy 2009
UNESCO HQ, Paris
Tel: +33 1 45684171
E-mail: y.berenguer@...

Dr. Karel A. van der Hucht
General Secretary, International Astronomical Union
IAU Secretariat, Paris, France
Tel: +33 1 43 25 83 58
E-mail: K.A.van.der.Hucht@...

Lars Lindberg Christensen
IAU Press Officer
ESO ePOD, Garching, Germany
Tel: +49 89 3200 6761
Cellular: +49 173 3872 621
E-mail: lars@...

--
_________________________________________________
Pedro Russo
International Year of Astronomy 2009 Coordinator
Editor-in-Chief CAPjournal
International Astronomical Union
e. prusso@...
p. +49 (0) 89 320 06 195
f. +49 (0) 89 320 06 703
w. www.astronomy2009.org / www.capjournal.org
a. IAU IYA2009 Secretariat
ESO education and Public Outreach Department
Karl-Schwarzschild-Strasse 2
D-85748 Garching bei München
Germany


--
Manoj Pai