International Astronomy Year Begins!

[Kasun Somaratne]

It's been 400 years since Galileo first had a look at the stars through his telecope. This Galileo moment was the first step in our current scientific understanding of the universe.

Wonder how Galileo felt when he saw phases in Venus, moons of Jupiter and rings of Saturn for the first time? Well if you haven't seen these already you will have a very good chance of seeing them yourself this year as the whole world turn towards the night sky. The United Nations has declared the year 2009 as the International Astronomy Year. To celebrate this year there will be many starparties and events happening all around you throughout the year organized by various Astronomy groups. Or if you are a stargazer yourself this will be a great oppurtunity to get a taste of your hobby to your family friends and relatives.

If you want to plan and organize a star party or a sidewalk star gazing event yourself or would like to know what Astronomy events are happening near you, a good website to go to is www.astronomy2009.ca. Clear skies!!! and Happy New Year!!