International Year of Astronomy 2009

Moon and Venus, originally uploaded by jiihaa.

This year (and I wonder when I get used to writing 2009 instead of 2008) is International Year of Astronomy 2009: "... to help the citizens of the world rediscover their place in the Universe through the day- and night-time sky, and thereby engage a personal sense of wonder and discovery. [...] The International Year of Astronomy (IYA2009) will be a global celebration of astronomy and its contributions to society and culture, highlighted by the 400th anniversary of the first use of an astronomical telescope by Galileo Galilei."

Urban areas are suffering from light pollution, which makes it diffucult to observe, e.g., the planets and stars. This photo was taken December 31st, 2008, and it shows the effects. Some thin clouds interfered also although we had a relatively clear sky compared to the typical winter so far.

I am envious of how the Milky Way appeared in my childhood on a farm about 500 km north of here. Such seeing is not possible in the Helsinki area.