Looking Through a Telescope During the International Year of Astronomy 2009

Details Looking Through a Telescope During the International Year of Astronomy 2009 Looking Through a Telescope During the International Year of Astronomy 2009

Dec 2007

adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-data_query?bibcode=2007aas...21110603t&link_type=abstract

American Astronomical Society, AAS Meeting #211, #106.03; Bulletin of the American Astronomical Society, Vol. 39, p.933

Astronomy and Astrophysics

Astronomy

Scientific paper

The main goal of the International Year of Astronomy 2009 effort in the United States is to offer an engaging astronomy experience to every person in the country. Since the IYA 2009 is a celebration of the 400th anniversary of Galileo's introduction of the telescope to astronomy, the key engaging experience that U.S. astronomers will offer is the opportunity to look through a small telescope at the celestial targets Galileo looked at: the Moon, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, the Pleiades, Praesepe, the Trapezium, Mizar/Alcor, the Milky Way, and the Sun.
Another goal of the U.S. IYA 2009 effort is to cultivate sustainable partnerships. "Sidewalk astronomy" is an ideal vehicle for astronomy clubs and individual amateur astronomers to participate in IYA 2009. In addition to their own programs, local amateurs will set up their scopes at events held by professional organizations, including NASA, universities, observatories, planetariums, and museums of science or natural history. The relationships forged during this large-scale collaboration for public outreach in astronomy will continue beyond 2009.
We aim to give 10 million people their first look through an astronomical telescope in 2009. This is achievable if, for example, 100,000 amateur observers each show the sky to 100 people.
Millions of small telescopes are sold every year, but anecdotal evidence suggests that most are rarely used for astronomy. Our "telescope amnesty" program will invite people to bring their little-used telescopes to IYA 2009 events, where astronomers will teach them how to use them and offer advice on repairs, improvements, and/or replacements, encouraging more people to stay involved in the hobby.
We encourage organizers of IYA 2009 celebrations in other countries to promote similar activities, with a common goal of giving 100 million people worldwide their first look through an astronomical telescope.

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