The Year to Celebrate Astronomy

We aim to inspire the entire world to reflect upon and participate in astronomy throughout 2009. And we want you to help.

By Catherine Cesarsky, Pedro Russo, and Lars Lindberg Christensen

ASTRONOMY is an international science. For centuries astronomers have collaborated across difficult boundaries of geography, language, culture, and politics. Today, teams of far-flung researchers routinely work together to understand the cosmos using facilities scattered all around the globe, as well as orbiting above it and beyond.

Take this concept and then imagine a truly international collaboration with participants from nearly every country on Earth, all with one objective: to expose as many as possible of the world's 6.8 billion citizens to the universe's wonders.

You have just imagined the International Year of Astronomy 2009.

Read the rest of this article in the January issue of Australian Sky & Telescope.