User:Mu301/IYA2009
In the year 1609 Galileo Galilei first turned his telescope skyward and made many discoveries that challanged the existing world view. It was also in this year that Johannes Kepler published Astronomia nova in which he explained the movements of the planets in our solar system. The United Nations has declared the 400th anniversary of these milestones of the Scientific Revolution to be the International Year of Astronomy. The IAU and UNESCO are ogranizing a global effort during 2009 "to help the citizens of the world rediscover their place in the Universe... and thereby engage a personal sense of wonder and discovery." [1] IYA2009 "will be a global celebration of astronomy and its contributions to society and culture" with the aim to stimulate interest in astronomy and science. [2]