The public is invited to a celebration of the International Year of Astronomy 2009 (IYA2009) on Saturday, June 6, from 4-8 p.m. at the Pasadena (Calif.) Convention Center, followed by public stargazing with small telescopes on the convention center plaza until 9:30 p.m.
A variety of fun, family oriented, hands-on activities and exhibit booths will be provided, including solar observing and a 100-foot scale model solar system, presented by organizations attending the subsequent summer meeting of the American Astronomical Society, with special additions from NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory. Representatives from the popular Astronomy Cast podcast and the Galaxy Zoo citizen-science project will be among the exhibitors in the indoor "AstroZone". Special indoor presentations will be made using a portable planetarium and a digital data immersion environment from the Rochester Institute of Technology.
For updates on exhibits and organizations at the event, visit the AstroZone Web site. For more information on the SCUBE digital immersion environment, see insight.cis.rit.edu/SCUBE/.
"Pasadena and greater Los Angeles is one of the world's leading centers of astronomy, both historically and today," said Douglas Isbell, the U.S. single point of contact for IYA2009. "We look to this public event on June 6 to help us get the second half of the International Year of Astronomy off to a stellar start, as we anticipate the distribution of many thousand copies of our new Galileoscope telescope kit around the world, and several exciting citizen-science projects.".
Driving directions to the Pasadena Convention Center and information on parking is available at the Web site. The outdoor astronomy activities and bazaar will be held in the central plaza marked by a rose and purple background on the street map posted there.
The telescope viewing, and some of the afternoon outdoor activities on June 6 are weather dependent. The planet Saturn, in particular, will be well positioned for viewing that evening. Small telescopes for public viewing will be provided by members of the Old Town Sidewalk Astronomers.
Commemorating 400 years since Galileo first used a telescope for astronomical research, IYA2009 is designed to help the citizens of the world to rediscover their place in the Universe through viewing the day-and night-time skies, to appreciate the impact of astronomy and basic sciences on our daily lives, and to better understand how scientific knowledge can contribute to a more equitable and peaceful society. Astronomers and educators in 140 countries aim to stimulate worldwide interest in astronomy and science, especially among young people, under the central IYA2009 theme "The Universe, Yours to Discover."
Major IYA2009 events to come include collaboration with the Year of Science 2009 in July , featuring a public imaging contest using NASA's MicroObservatory network, globally connected star parties focused on observing the Moon on August 1 and Jupiter (and its moons) on October 23-24, the Great World Wide Star Count from October 9-23, and further expansion of the new Portal to the Universe Web site.
To learn more about IYA2009, visit www.astronomy2009.org. Additional information on the U.S. plans and programs for IYA can be found at www.astronomy2009.us.
The U.S. IYA2009 program is supported by the National Science Foundation and NASA, and by private donations. The American Astronomical Society is the U.S. liaison to the IYA2009 program via the International Astronomical Union. Key U.S. partners include the Astronomical Society of the Pacific, the National Optical Astronomy Observatory, the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics, the Chandra X-Ray Observatory, and the National Radio Astronomy Observatory.
The California Institute of Technology in Pasadena manages JPL for NASA.
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