World Space Week

World Space Week is held each year from October 4-10, and is observed around the globe through educational and informational events intended to inspire future generations and inform both the public and government leaders about space exploration. And what great timing - this year's World Space Week happened to fall during the week that LCROSS impacted the moon in a search for water ice. View images and video of the impact from early this morning and stay up-to-date on the latest scientific findings to come from this mission at the LCROSS website. That's just one way to observe World Space Week; check out the World Space Week website for more info and for ideas on how to educate others about space and space exploration throughout the year.

International Year of Astronomy (IYA) 2009 events

Organizations around the world are planning events for the International Year of Astronomy (IYA) 2009. The Planetarium Science Center (PSC) at the Bibliotheca Alexandrina (BA) in Egypt has announced IYA2009 events, and the IYA2009 U.S. project office is also working on promoting and coordinating IYA2009 events across the country.

Everyone should realize the impact of astronomy and other fundamental sciences on our daily lives, and understand how scientific knowledge can contribute to a more equitable and peaceful society. IYA2009 is a global effort initiated by the International Astronomical Union and UNESCO to help the citizens of the world rediscover their place in the universe through the day- and night-time sky, and thereby engage a personal sense of wonder and discovery.

*Image and info courtesy of IYA2009

International Year of Astronomy 2009

2009 will be the International Year of Astronomy! Initiated by the International Astronomical Union (IAU) and UNESCO, 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. The aim of the Year is to stimulate worldwide interest, especially among young people, in astronomy and science with activities taking place at the global and regional levels, and especially at the national and local levels. National Nodes in each country have been formed to prepare activities for 2009. Organizational Nodes have been established as well. These Nodes establish collaborations between professional and amateur astronomers, science centers, educators, and science communicators.

*Image and info courtesy of IYA2009; visit the website to view the IYA2009 trailer, find National Nodes, and more.

The Hubble Telescope and WorldWide Telescope (WWT) software

Bring the power of the Hubble Space Telescope to your computer screen, browsing the universe for astronomical phenomena in striking detail. Hubble images in full resolution are now available through Microsoft Research's free WorldWide Telescope (WWT) software. WWT is a web 2.0 visualization software environment that enables your computer to function as a virtual telescope, bringing together imagery that includes not only Hubble images, but a rich collection of visuals from both ground and space telescopes in visible light, infrared, x-ray, radio and other wavelengths.

The WWT software requires a relatively powerful computer running Windows (or Mac using BootCamp). See the full requirements and get the software at the WorldWide Telescope download page.