The International Year of Astronomy 2009 (IYA2009) is a global celebration of astronomy and its contribution to society and culture. The effort has been initiated by the International Astronomical Union and United Nations Education, Scientific and Cultural organisation (UNESCO).
Each country has a national node, and Australia's effort is being co-ordinated by the Anglo-Australian observatory (AAO) and CSIRO's Australia Telescope National Facility (ATNF).
IYA in Australia has four goals:
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Raise awareness of Australia's contributions, strengths and role in astronomy.
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Use astronomy to encourage people, particularly young people, to engage with the natural world and deepen their understanding of it through education.
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Promote understanding of how science is done, using astronomy as an appealing example.
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Promote appreciation of the scientific and technological skills that enable discovery in astronomy and are themselves driven by its challenges.
For more information about IYA activities in Australia, please refer to the Australian IYA2009 website.
For more information about international IYA activities, please refer to the International IYA2009 website.