02.01.2009
Open the Curtains for IYA2009!
The old year goes, a new year comes. But it’s not just a new year, but a very special one: 2009 is the international year of astronomy. IYA2009 will be a global celebration of astronomy and its contributions to society and culture, highlighted by the 400th anniversary of the first use of an astronomical telescope by Galileo Galilei. More than 130 countries will contribute to IYA2009 activities on a national, regional and local level. The big international opening will take place on 15 and 16 January 2009 in Paris. The German-wide opening will follow on 20 January 2009 in Berlin. Also the Universe Cluster embarks upon some projects for the year of astronomy. One of them is a special service for schools, planetaria and other organisations who look for interesting talks for students or visitors. In collaboration with the Astronomische Gesellschaft the Cluster will build a web-based speakers’ database that helps organisers of school and public events to find suitable speakers for their audiences. The database will be available at the beginning of February 2009 at this website.
