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INTERNATIONAL YEAR OF ASTRONOMY 2009
TO BE CELEBRATED AT THE UNIVERSITY OF KENT
Press Release: 10 January 2009
(electronic copy: http://astro.kent.ac.uk/mds/PR/iya2009-kent.html )
Have you ever observed the stars and planets through a telescope?
The year 2009 may be your chance. To mark International Year of
Astronomy 2009, space experts at the University of Kent are
presenting a series of public lectures on astronomy, cosmology and
the universe. The lectures will be held on Tuesday evenings at Keynes
College on the Canterbury campus and, weather permitting, will be
followed by observing sessions with the telescopes at the University
Observatory. The lectures and observing opportunities are free and
intended to widen participation in astronomy and physics to those who
have never had the chance. The less you know, the more we hope to
inspire you.
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The International Year of Astronomy is being celebrated across the
world, sponsored by the United Nations and the International
Astronomical Union. The year marks the 400th anniversary of
Galileo’s first astronomical observation through a telescope. A
staggering 135 nations are collaborating to make the public more
aware of the universe we live in.
In Kent, after the Opening Ceremony at 7:30pm on January 20th in
lecture theatre KLT6, Dr. Cyril Isenberg, MBE, will take us on a
Voyage through the Solar System. There will be plenty of time for
questions concerning the lecture topic as well as general discussion
concerning black holes, the big bank, dark energy and other
civilisations in our galaxy.
The lectures will be held in Keynes College lecture theatre KLT6, on
the first floor of the College, at the back of KLT5, on Tuesday
evenings at 7.30 pm. The observing will follow immediately
afterwards. To ensure a place at the telescopes, contact Michael Smith
beforehand on 01227-827654 or [email protected] .
The lectures subsequent to the January 20th Solar System Tour will
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reveal Our Sun (3rd February), Life in Space (17th February), Our
Evolving Universe (24th March), Star Formation (31st March), and the
Significant Contributions of Amateur Astronomers (7th April).
Interspersed with these lectures are three invited talks by prominent
UK scientists, organised by the Kent Physics Centre. These are:
The World of Radioactive Polonium (Dr Patrick Regan, 27th January
Brabourne Lecture Theatre, Keynes College), the Cassini-Huygens
Mission to Saturn and Titan (Dr Caitriona Jackman, 24th February,
Rutherford Lecture Theatre) and Our Universe and Others (Prof John
Barrow, 17th March, Rutherford Lecture Theatre), all at 19:30.
The Kent IYA2009 organisers and presenters are members of the Kent
Physics Centre, the Centre for Astrophysics and Planetary Science
(CAPS), the School of Physical Sciences and the South-East Kent
Astronomical Society (SEKAS).
Other 2009 Astronomy Events in Canterbury include a British
Astronomical Association “back to basics” Workshop at Darwin
College on 31st January, http://britastro.org (booking deadline
extended to 23rd January, weekend Space Schools in August, and
SEKAS observing nights and lectures. The CAPS group also provides
opportunities to begin studying astronomy for a bachelor’s, master’s
or doctoral degree.
"The Universe, yours to discover."
The International Year of Astronomy 2009 (IYA2009) has been launched by the
International Astronomical Union (IAU) and the United Nations Educational,
Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) under the theme, "The
Universe, yours to discover." Thousands of IYA2009 events are described on
the national websites, as well as on www.astronomy2009.org, and a few of the
global projects are listed here.
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The official IYA2009 opening ceremony will take place in Paris on January 1516, 2009. It will feature keynote speakers, including nobel laureates, and live
video feeds to scientists working in remote locations. Many nations are holding
their own opening ceremonies in January and February, showing their
dedication to the year. But events will begin before then. Don't be surprised to
see telescopes on the streets on New Year's Day. The IYA2009 Solar Physics
Group has been busy planning a grand worldwide campaign with over 30
countries involved at more than 150 venues.
"The Cosmic Diary" is an example of a global activity occurring during 2009,
with the release of its official web site on New Year's Day. The project concerns
the daily lives of full-time astronomers. More than 50 bloggers, professionals
from over 35 countries and employed by organizations such as ESO, NASA,
ESA, and JAXA have already begun producing content, writing about their
lives, the work they conduct, and the challenges they face. The public can see
what being an astronomer is really like and how groundbreaking research is
conducted. Another project, "365 Days of Astronomy," will publish one podcast
per day over the entire year. The episodes will be written, recorded, and
produced by people around the world.
"100 Hours of Astronomy," another IYA2009 cornerstone project, is a worldwide
event taking place from April 2-5, 2009, with a wide range of public outreach activities
including live webcasts, observing events, and more. One of the key goals of "100
Hours of Astronomy" is to have as many people as possible look through a telescope,
just as Galileo did for the first time 400 years ago.
The "From Earth to the Universe" (FETTU) cornerstone project is an exhibition
arranged by IYA2009 that will bring large-scale astronomical images to a wide public
audience in non-traditional venues such as public parks and gardens, art museums,
shopping malls, and metro stations. Over 30 countries around the world are currently in
the development phase of FETTU projects, many with multiple locations. Some 15
countries plan to begin FETTU exhibitions within the first month of 2009, ranging in
size from 25 to over 100 images on display. FETTU will be introduced to the global
community at the opening ceremony at UNESCO headquarters in January 2009.
"The World at Night" is an IYA2009 special project that is producing and bringing to
the public a collection of stunning photographs and time-lapse videos of the world's
landmarks with the sky in the background. "The World at Night" is preparing more
than 30 exhibitions and educational events around the world.
One of IYA2009's aims is to raise awareness of light pollution and how the beauty of
the night sky is progressively being drowned out, particularly over urban areas. The
project "Dark Skies Awareness" is tackling these issues head-on in a practical,
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inclusive manner. One way in which it is doing this is by holding star-counting events
where the public is encouraged to see how many stars in a particular area of the sky are
actually visible from their location. When compared with data from truly dark sites, the
results are often very surprising! The "How Many Stars" event will run from January
2009.
A list of event highlights is available on the official IYA2009 website,
www.astronomy2009.org/highlights. From there it is also possible to contact the
National Nodes, responsible for organizing local events in the many participating
countries.
IYA2009 seeks to involve the public in its activities, and to this end amateur
astronomers have been called upon to help organize and run events. So many people
across the globe are already involved, they have formed the world's largest astronomy
network. Catherine Cesarsky, IAU President, says: "135 countries have committed
themselves to the Year, all pulling together toward the common aim of making
astronomy accessible to the public. IYA2009 will reinforce the links between science
education and science careers, stimulating a long-term increase in student enrolment in
the fields of science and technology and an appreciation for lifelong learning."
IYA2009 LECTURE PROGRAMME
20 January
A VOYAGE THROUGH THE SOLAR SYSTEM
Dr Cyril Isenberg, University of Kent
The application of mechanics and Newton’s laws of motion
have enabled man to explore the solar system. Some of the
principles involved will be explained with the aid of
demonstrations. The Voyager mission to the outer planets,
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using the slingshot effect, will be discussed.
3 February
THE SUN AS A TYPICAL STAR
Dr Kaz Krynicki, University of Kent
The Sun is our most available laboratory for the study of
stars in general. The talk will summarise the Sun’s physical
properties. Solar activities and various types of solar
radiation will also be discussed.
17 February
LIFE IN SPACE
Professor Mark Burchell, University of Kent
The Origin of Life is one of the big questions of the age.
What we know about it will be discussed, but what we don’t
know may be even more interesting. The talk will cover what
we know about life on Earth, where it might appear
elsewhere and what form it might take (and why). Fact will
be mixed with speculation , this is inevitable with such an
open question.
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24 March
OUR UNIVERSE , OUR ORIGIN AND OUR FUTURE
Professor Michael Smith, University of Kent
This talk will outline the tremendous advances, in our
understanding of the universe, that were made largely
during the last century. They have allowed us to deduce how
the universe began and then to expand to its present state.
Although our knowledge of the universe is quite appreciable,
we still know little about the nature of the, so called, dark
matter and dark energy, whose existence follows from
reliable observations.
31 March
STAR
FORMATION
Dr Dirk Froebrich, University of Kent
We know little about how stars were formed in the early
universe, but our knowledge about the star formation,
occurring in our galaxy, is appreciable. This talk will
concentrate on physical models and observations of current
star formation in cold molecular clouds which appear in the
interstellar matter of the galaxy.
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7 April
THE CONTRIBUTION OF AMATEURS TO
ASTRONOMY
Dr John Kemp, Journal Editor, SEKAS, www.sekas.co.uk
Astronomy is one of the few sciences where the amateur can
make useful contributions, though the nature of that
contribution continues to evolve. Until little more than a
century ago, amateurs built many of the biggest and best
telescopes: nowadays they use sophisticated commercial
equipment to complement the work of the professionals,
monitoring the sky for changes in known objects, and for
novae, supernovae and new comets. They have written
software that the professionals use, and there is an amateur
on the Hubble team. Amateurs educate and entertain the
populace with public stargazing events, helping to maintain
the political will to fund what is literally ‘blue sky’ research,
and providing for the next generation of professional
astronomers: quite a few professionals date their career
choice from their first view of Saturn’s rings through an
amateur telescope.
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Organisers, Astronomy & University Media Contacts:
'Michael Smith' <[email protected]>
[email protected]
cyril <[email protected]>
'Dirk Froebrich' <[email protected]>
'John Kemp' <[email protected]>
Kaz Krynicki <[email protected]>
Howard Phillips <[email protected]>
Steve Walls [email protected]
Duncan MacKay <[email protected]>
Becky Parker <[email protected]>
Neil Cox <[email protected]>
David M Wilson <[email protected]>
Karen Baxter <[email protected]>
Joanna Walpole <[email protected]>
Sarah Saunders <[email protected]>
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