Astronomy's big year

Des Emery, St. Thomas, ON, Canada — Tue, 06 Jan 2009 01:17:52 GMT

Don't forget to visit the website of the Royal Astronomical Society of Canada which is part of the IYA2009, co-ordinating the various university and other astronomy clubs across the country. Canadian astronomers have produced many of the important advances in the science, including the first photograph of a planet orbiting another star.

Astronomy's big year

gavel, London, England — Tue, 06 Jan 2009 02:32:18 GMT

What about Nibru ?

Astronomy's big year

Wayne Watne, McCleary, WA — Tue, 06 Jan 2009 03:40:39 GMT

This is awesome timing for such an emphasis on Astronomy! If you really want to seee something amazing about the stars and really get an understanding of how incredibly large some of the stars are, how big the universe is, and the magnitude of the distances between some of the galaxies and earth check out the CD "Indescribable" by Louie Giglio... it will blow your socks off! They are available online... another is "How Great is Our God" also by Louie Giglio. Believer in God or not, the two CD's do the most amazing job I've ever seen to put the size of the cosmos into a perspective that most can grasp the imensity of the stars!

Astronomy's big year

Teresa ZM, Livermore, CA — Tue, 06 Jan 2009 04:44:05 GMT

Thanks for posting these links. I am always looking for new resources. I teach space exploration and astronomy related topics as an after school enrichment program in an elementary school.
I'll start teaching again for the new year in a couple of weeks. Unfortunately, the D.A.G. site is not yet developed and doesn't have miuch to offer at this point. I've bookmarked it anyway and plan to check in later in the year.

Astronomy's big year

Joe Bowman aka Starrzann — Tue, 06 Jan 2009 13:12:04 GMT

Many children grow up never to see the stars from a truly dark sky,just one of the byproducts of light pollution...Let us hope that the awareness brought by this Year of Astronomy will bring a change to the thinking of how we implement security lighting. Install motion detectors in place of dusk to dawn lights, saving energy and allowing our children to glimpse some of the wonders of the night sky..

Astronomy's big year

Thomas Ashby, Calgary — Tue, 06 Jan 2009 16:30:47 GMT

Galileo would be disgusted and profoundly puzzled at how much of the night sky has disappeared due to light pollution and the neanderthals that run development and expansion in the cities. They will tell you that they have adopted a low light policy but the evidence clearly shows that light pollution is increasing. Especially around Las Vegas.

People need to demand retrofitting of existing lighting and all cities around the world should be retrofitting streetlamps that focus light downward rather than all around.

Also, atmospheric haze due to many sources of pollution is causing more cloudy situations that greatly reduce night viewing.

Astronomy's big year

Mark Wakely — Tue, 06 Jan 2009 19:15:57 GMT

As an amateur astronomer, it's great that Dark Sky Awareness will be a cornerstone of IYA in 2009. Few people ever get to see the night sky the way it should be seen thanks to light pollution, which dims all but the brightest stars and planets. Besides spoiling the view of the heavens, light pollution is a waste of energy and money too. An organization that's been helping to curb light pollution since 1988 is the International Dark-Sky Association. It's worth checking out:

http://www.darksky.org/mc/page.do

Astronomy's big year

Carl T, Long Beach — Tue, 06 Jan 2009 20:06:18 GMT

How cool that the AAS is holding it's convention in a city where you can see all 7 (or is it 8) stars on a moonless night!

Astronomy's big year

ken waterbury — Tue, 06 Jan 2009 20:47:19 GMT

why do we need to know about space

Astronomy's big year

Tim Rommes, Washington, UT — Wed, 07 Jan 2009 15:48:01 GMT

How much good does it do to change completely over to downward lights? Lower total light because you're using it more efficiently. You still get whatever isn't absorbed reflecting out. Any idea how it effects seeing? Let's say a town of 10,000 isolated in a Kansas plain. If I drive 5 miles out of town and the town uses down focus lights vs. all around?