The last General Assembly of the United Nations (UN) has officially proclaimed 2009 as the International Year of Astronomy (IYA2009) . Under the central motto "A Universe for you to discover", the UN and other organizations will promote research in this field and inform citizens of the repercussions of astronomy in daily life .
"This is an important step in sparking the interest of society in what is possibly the oldest science of all – astronomy," says Tim de Zeeuw, Director General of the European Organization for Astronomical Research in the Southern Hemisphere (ESO).
The date has not been chosen at random. In 2009, it is 400 years since the Italian scientist Galileo Galilei first pointed a telescope towards the sky, not only to discover the mountains and craters of the Moon or sunspots, but also to corroborate the heliocentric model of the Solar System of Copernicus.
So far there are 99 nations and 14 organizations registered to participate in IYA2009.
Official website IYA2009 (http://www.astronomy2009.org)
