Megan's Blog

In the news this month: end of the IYA

The International Year of Astronomy officially comes to an end on January 9th and 10th with a closing ceremony held in Padova, Italy. 2009 saw thousands of individuals in over 148 countries get involved in taking astronomy out to the public in countless events happening around the planet, all celebrating 400 years since Galileo first turned a telescope to the sky.

Amongst other events, numerous public star parties and viewing nights were held, many professional observatories hosted open days for the public, and many major projects were initiated, several of which will continue on in the years to come.

The anniversary year may be coming to an end, but the cooperation will continue though the IYA legacy programme "Beyond IYA2009" which will aim to sustain the networks, activities and innovative concepts for education and public outreach in astronomy which have been so successful throughout the year.