International launch of IYA
More than 900 stronomers, students, government representatives, diplomats, artists and business people have met at the UNESCO Headquarters in Paris for the official opening of IYA on 15 and 16 January.
Webcast of the event. (Paris time is AEDT minus 10 hours.)
The two-day ceremony includes presentations by Nobel Prize winners Bob Wilson and Baruch Blumberg, talks about the latest astronomical discoveries, discussions on the role of astronomy in culture and public engagement, real-time astronomical observations and a closing performance by the Grammy-Award-winning Kronos Quartet.
“After years of preparation, the time has come to launch this year, during which the citizens of the world will rediscover their place in the Universe, and hear of the wondrous discoveries in the making. The opening ceremony, at UNESCO Headquarters, is representative of the of the commitment of 136 countries to partake in the celebration of
astronomy,” says Catherine Cesarsky, President of the International Astronomical Union, who introduced the vision and goals of IYA2009 at the event.
The Opening Ceremony launches the start of a year which will put astronomy firmly into the public eye, with the theme “The Universe, Yours to Discover”. Hundreds, if not thousands, of events on global, national and regional levels started up in the first weeks of the Year to celebrate astronomy and its contributions to culture and society, highlighting its importance as a globally uniting endeavour, attempting to answer some of life’s fundamental questions.
The proceedings were opened by Koïchiro Matsuura, Director-General of UNESCO, who said, “People have always looked to the sky for answers to the questions ‘How did we get here?’ and ‘Why are we here?’ The sky belongs to everybody. Astronomy is an instrument to promote peace and understanding among nations and as such is at the heart of UNESCO’s
mission.”
Matsuura added “We will encourage citizens of the world, especially young people, to learn more about the Universe in which we live and to explore the links that astronomy provides between the scientific and cultural spheres.”
Last Updated ( Sunday, 22 February 2009 )
