Podcast: 400 Years, 100 Hours

• By Sara Mitchell
• March 18, 2009
• Comments Off on Podcast: 400 Years, 100 Hours

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2009 has been chosen as the International Year of Astronomy because it marks the 400th anniversary of a big event in astronomical history – the first recorded observations of the night sky with a telescope. Galileo Galilei pointed his telescope at the Moon, the stars, and Jupiter, and changed our perceptions of the Universe forever. In celebration, there will be a variety of special events throughout 2009. The first big global event will be the 100 Hours of Astronomy, held April 2-5, 2009.

In honor of this special year, we decided to interview Galileo himself about what he did and why it was important to astronomy. We hope you’ll look into 100 Hours of Astronomy events in your own area, and perhaps take a look through a telescope yourself.

International Year of Astronomy

In honor of the 400th anniversary of Galileo’s historic telescope observations, the International Astronomical Union has chosen 2009 as the International Year of Astronomy (IYA). To learn more about this year and what’s going on, check out these links:

• International Year of Astronomy (international site) – the official international website for the year’s projects and events
• International Year of Astronomy (United States) – the official site for the United States
• NASA’s International Year of Astronomy site – resources, activities, and events organized by NASA for IYA

100 Hours of Astronomy

From April 2-5, groups worldwide will be celebrating 100 Hours of Astronomy, the first big global event for the International Year of Astronomy. Designed to occur simultaneously in every time zone, these special hundred hours will be filled with webcasts, live events, and opportunities to do astronomy at locations around the world. To find out more, and to locate events in your area, here are some resources:

• 100 Hours of Astronomy – This is the official site for the project. The website includes information about the project, as well as information about hundreds of events worldwide. You can search for specific events in your own area with their maps and lists.
• NASA Goddard Space Flight Center’s 100 Hours of Astronomy events – Here in Maryland, we will be celebrating the 100 Hours of Astronomy with a variety of events. We’ve got rocket launches, tours, a concert, hands-on activities, and more! Visit our site to learn about our schedule of events.

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