International Year of Astronomy

In the year 2009, the world will celebrate the International Year of Astronomy as it commemorates the 400th anniversary of Galileo’s use of a telescope to study the skies, and Kepler’s publication of Astronomia Nova. 2009 is also the anniversary of many other historic events in science, including Huygen’s 1659 publication of Systema Saturnium. This will be modern astronomy’s quadricentennial, and the 2009 Year of Astronomy will be an international celebration of numerous astronomical and scientific milestones.

This excerpt was taken from http://astronomy2009.us/

For activities and resources related to the International Year of Astronomy please try the following links:

Night Sky Network – astronomy education resources. Choose your topic, grade level, and where you’re teaching. This site takes your right to specific activities.
http://nightsky.jpl.nasa.gov/download-search.cfm

Monthly guides for the sky observing are free at this site:
http://www.astrosociety.org/iya/guides.html