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The IYA-2009 home site

The main IYA-2009 events in Russia

• the All-Russia Conference "Astronomy and Society", the central event of the International Year of Astronomy in Russia;

• the UNESCO congress "Astronomy and World Heritage: Across Time and Continents" (August 20-24, Kazan);

• a series of Russian and international meetings and conferences;

• creating and supporting the Russian web site http://www.astronomy2009.ru as a component of the network of national sites devoted to the IYA-2009;

• establishing a FAQ service at the IYA-2009 site (Russian node) where questions of the community concerning astronomy will be answered, with participation of professional astronomers in preparing the answers;

• participating in the global "Dark Skies Awareness" project: evaluation of the current darkness of the night sky world-wide from simple astronomical observations, possible for a naked eye;

• providing publicity to activities of professional and amateur observatories, planetaria, educational and research institutions;

• participating in the global Earth Hour project, organized together with the World Wide Fund for Nature. During this event, some 1 billion people in more than 1000 largest cities of the world will switch off the light on March 28, 2009 for one hour (20:30 to 21:30 local time) to demonstrate their concern with global climate changes. The "dark wave" during this event will permit millions of people in the whole world to have a better view of stars and notice the beauties of the night sky;

• participating in the global 100 Hours of Astronomy project, consisting of numerous events world-wide on April 2 to 5, aimed at turning attention of the society to astronomy. In particular, open days (nights) will be arranged at astronomical observatories and institutes. Following organisations in Russia will take part in this project:

  • SAI MSU

  • Kourovka Astronomical Observatory, Ural State University

  • Pulkovo observatory

  • INASAN (Zvenigorod observatory)

  • Engelgart Astronomical Observatory of the Kazan State University (AO KazGU)

  • Special Astrophysical Observatory, Russian Academy of Sciences (SAO RAS)

  • Astronomical Observatory of the Irkutsk State University (AO IrGU)  

  • Institute of Terrestrial Magnetism and Radiowave Propagation, Russian Academy of Sciences (IZMIRAN);

• participating in the global project She is an astronomer, investigating professional and carrier growth of women in Russian astronomy. Some results of this study can be viewed here;

• participating in the special "The World at Night" (TWAN) project;

• developing pages of the web sites of research institutes, university departments of astronomy, planetaria that will primarily address the general community, schoolchildren, amateur astronomers and cover scientific, social, and educational activities of the corresponding institutions; creating public relations and popular astronomy structures in observatories and institutions;

• developing educational software for schoolchildren;

• establishing and supporting contacts with organizations of amateur astronomers, participating in the Astrofest congress of amateur and professional astronomers, defining and formulating problems where amateurs are able to contribute to professional astronomy;

• developing a federal scientific and educational program that will aim, among other items, at development of a network of remote-control minor telescopes, production and distribution among schools (or shared-access centers) of affordable sets of physical and astronomical equipment;

• arranging a consultative meeting of the Scientific Council on Astronomy of the Russian Academy of Sciences, with representatives from the Ministry of Education and Science of Russian Federation, Russian Space Agency, mass media;

• special events for children and youth: competitions of children's astronomical drawings, with winners determined by an open ballot; visits of astronomers with lectures to schools, summer camps, orphan homes; astronomical Olympiads, conferences and team observations;

• operatively informing the community on events if the astronomy world; establishing a monthly astronomical column in one of newspapers; regular news releases on MYA events at the information portal www.lenta.ru; a cycle of TV programs devoted to recent achievements and news in the fields of astronomy and space research;

• preparing an expert prognosis of the future of astronomy, with the results announced at the All-Russia Conference "Astronomy and Society";

• publishing a calendar for 2009;

• issuing a postal stamp and envelope on the occasion of the IYA;

• establishing a Russian Day of astronomy, to be celebrated yearly;

• arranging an exhibition "Astronomy and Book", mobile astronomical exhibitions. Currently, the exhibition "2009 - the Year of Astronomy" is on display at the Orenburg Regional N.K. Krupskaya Scientific Library;

• taking part in long-term projects: support of planetaria, support of the present status of astronomical education in universities, returning astronomy to be taught in high schools;

• arranging the Russian open competition of texts/scenarios of planetarium lectures/programs;

• events at Lytkarino Planetarium:

  • creating an interactive optical laboratory "Journeys of Light in Optical Labyrinths" for schoolchildren;

  • a competition of children's drawings about space "The Space Journey";

  • an astronomical conference for schoolchildren;

  participating in observations and media coverage of the total solar eclipse on July 22, 2009 - the longest-totality eclipse of the 21st century