IYA Opening Ceremony

UNESCO, Paris

15 & 16 January, 2009

A special two day ceremony was held at the United Nations Education, Scientific and Cultural Organisation headquarters in Paris to officially launch the International Year of Astronomy 2009. The programme included lectures from IYA officials, government representives, Nobel Prize winners and eminent scientists, as well as exhibitions displaying everything from the latest telescope technology and astronomy books, to working models of forthcoming space missions and astronomy inspired art. Astronomy Now's Editor and Website Editor were there to document the proceedings.

All images Emily Baldwin/Keith Cooper, Astronomy Now (unless otherwise stated).

Distinguished scientists and IYA officials from around the globe gathered in Paris for the two-day meeting and celebration of the first 400 years of modern astronomy.

Jean-Michel Jarre, master of ceremony, gives the opening address to a packed conference hall. Image: IAU/Jose Francisco Salgado.

Catherine Cesarsky, President of the International Astronomical Union, tells Astronomy Now about her expectations for the International Year of Astronomy.

The UNESCO headquarters, including telescope (right), is set against a more familiar backdrop.

Astronomy Now's Keith Cooper interviews Robert Wilson, co-recipient of the Nobel Prize in Physics for discovering the cosmic microwave background with Arno Penzias.

The World at Night exhibition shows stunning photographs of the world's landmarks against celestial attractions.

We also caught up with two UK-based IYA representatives, Dr Helen Walker (President of the Society for Popular Astronomy) and Professor Ian Robson (The UK's IYA 'SPoC' - Single Point of Contact).

Other exhibitions included a 3D rotating planet globe displaying images of everthing from the Earth (top left), the cosmic microwave background (top middle) and Jupiter (top right); the IYA Cornerstone 'Galileoscope' telescope project (bottom left) and models of major space telescopes including CoRoT (shown here).

The Planets
From tiny Mercury to distant Neptune and Pluto, The Planets profiles each of the Solar System's members in depth, featuring the latest imagery from space missions. The tallest mountains, the deepest canyons, the strongest winds, raging atmospheric storms, terrain studded with craters and vast worlds of ice are just some of the sights you'll see on this 100-page tour of the planets.
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Hubble Reborn
Hubble Reborn takes the reader on a journey through the Universe with spectacular full-colour pictures of galaxies, nebulae, planets and stars as seen through Hubble's eyes, along the way telling the dramatic story of the space telescope, including interviews with key scientists and astronauts.
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3D Universe
Witness the most awesome sights of the Universe as they were meant to be seen in this 100-page extravaganza of planets, galaxies and star-scapes, all in 3D!
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This special publication features the photography of British astro-imager Nik Szymanek and covers a range of photographic methods from basic to advanced. Beautiful pictures of the night sky can be obtained with a simple camera and tripod before tackling more difficult projects, such as guided astrophotography through the telescope and CCD imaging.
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Explore the Universe with these new versions of the award-winning Starry Night Software. Available now from the Astronomy Now Store.
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Astronomy Now is pleased to announce the publication of Exploring Mars. The very best images of Mars taken by orbiting spacecraft and NASA's Spirit and Opportunity rovers fill up the 98 glossy pages of this special edition!
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This new poster features some of the best pictures from NASA's amazing Mars Exploration Rovers Spirit and Opportunity.
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