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International Year of Astronomy 2009
A review of IYA2009
Last year's International Year of Astronomy (IYA2009) saw the Society deliver a whole host of monthly events under our banner theme ' The City-Dweller's Guide to the Galaxy'. Included were sidewalk astronomy events, star and solar parties plus international guest speakers, exhibitions and displays at various locations around Birmingham. A huge committment made possible by a core team of enthusiastic and supportive members!
We would also like to thank all our partners for their support over the last twelve months ;particularly, Tony Fox from Friends of Cannon Hill Park, Mario diMaggio from Birmingham Thinktank Science Museum, staff of Soho House Museum, the wardens from Lickey Hills Visitors' Centre and Sutton Coldfield Park and, also, the Events staff at Aston University.
OUR FINAL IYA EVENT took place at Cannon Hill Park on Saturday 12 December. As dusk fell, we showed our visitors the planet Jupiter and watched as children from a local community group launched chinese winter lanterns into the night sky. A fitting close to an eventful and inspiring year!
OUR NOVEMBER IYA EVENT on Friday 20 November took place at Sutton Park in North Birmingham where we enjoyed a suprisingly good night's observing of Jupiter, the Galilean moons and the early winter constellations. Wet and windy conditions throughout the week gave way to a relatively clear and calm evening so, despite the competition of BBC TV's Children in Need, we were able to show our visitors some astronomical delights, after all.
OUR OCTOBER IYA EVENT on Friday 30 October was a MoonWatch with, unfortunately, little or no Moon to watch...!! A constant overcast sky made observing impossible so our visitors enjoyed the talks, displays,activities,quiz and planetraium indoors instead. Half term had quite an effect on our normally high visitor numbers but a good revening, nevertheless.
OUR SEPTEMBER IYA EVENT on Thursday 17 September was a display/exhibition in the Great Hall of Aston University to mark the bicentenary of Lunar Society co-founder, Matthew Boulton, as part of 'Discovery Day'. We and other contributors to this event provided some browsing material for attendees to the Day's seminar programme arranged by the University. A chance for us to meet and talk to the local community in more cerebral surroundings!!
OUR AUGUST IYA EVENT on Sunday 16 August saw us at Sutton Park in Sutton Coldfield, North Birmingham, armed with H-alpha solar telescopes (PSTs), a Calcium PST hooked up to a plasma screen, a Meade solarscope, a home-made spectroscope and a replica of William Herschel's Infrared experiment! Intermittent sunshine allowed us to safely show images of the Sun to around 150 visitors alongside other displays,including a DIY sundial; measuring the Sun's shadow with sticks.
OUR JULY IYA EVENT , on Saturday 25 July, celebrated the 40th anniversary of the Apollo Moon landings at Thinktank Science Museum, Millennium Point, Digbeth.From 11am to 4 pm, we were on site with solar telescopes to show passers-by the Sun in Hydrogen-alpha while other members manned a fantastic display of Apollo memorabilia, posters, and models. About 200 visitors browsed our stands throughout the Day Even the Sun joined in for a nostalgic look back to forty years ago when a Man made the first step for Mankind!
OUR JUNE IYA EVENT was a Summer Solstice Solar Picnic, held at Cannon Hill Park, on Saturday 20 June, we welcomed Ishango Sun-Trek Cadets, Park Friends and visitors along to help us celebrate the Summer Solstice and International Year of Astronomy. About a half hour's worth of clear sunshine meant that, sadly, our solar observing equipment saw little active use but our model of the solar system strung up in the bandstand area and displays still managed to draw about 130 visitors to our stand throughout the Day.
OUR MAY IYA EVENT took place on Bank Holiday Monday 4 May at Soho House Museum in Birmingham, the historical home of one of the City's most famous benefactors, Matthew Boulton. Over 200 people visited our stand to look at our solar telescopes and other displays despite the constantly overcast sky!
OUR APRIL IYA EVENT was held during MoonWatch week on 3 April at Lickey Hills Visitors' Centre in Rednal, South Birmingham - a great night with loads of families eager to see the Moon and Saturn through an array of members' telescopes, experience a virtual night sky in Thintank's Discovery Dome, listen to a variety of talks and take part in interactive displays and competitions....What a fantastic way to spend an evening- encouraging everyone to marvel at our wonderful universe!!
OUR MARCH IYA EVENT saw Birmingham Astronomical Society welcome famous co-discoverer of Comet Shoemaker-Levy 9, David H Levy, to our City from 7 -11 March 2009. David gave three lectures to hundreds of people at Aston University, Birmingham University and the Thinktank. We were all inspired by David's presentations encouraging us to get outside and look up at the sky. BBC Midlands Today covered the Aston University lecture, interviewed David, featured the Society and even presented the weather from outside the University's main building!