400 years of Astronomy

International Year of Astronomy
400 years of exploring the sky.


In late 1609, word of a Dutch lens maker’s invention, that could magnify distant objects, reached the Italian scientist, Galileo Galilei. The invention was made up of two lenses in a tube, the very first refractor telescope. Galileo created a telescope for himself and used it to view the night sky. With this, he was able to make discovery after discovery; a new world as it was deemed. Among his discoveries were craters and mountains on the Moon, four of the largest satellites of Jupiter (Io, Europa, Ganymede, and Callisto), phases of Venus, and the stars of the Milky Way.

Galileo formally released his observations in 1610, in his book The Starry Messenger. His discoveries astounded astronomers everywhere. But since the Church accepted the Ptolemaic system (Ptolemy’s Earth-centered view, rather than Copernicus’ Sun-centered belief), they denied the discoveries of Galileo and had him spend the last years of his life under house arrest.

In the year of Galileo’s death, Isaac Newton was born. He developed a new type of telescope in 1672, the reflector. Aside from that, Newton was able to produce a solid mathematical foundation to the astronomical views of Copernicus and Kepler, alongside his discovery of the laws of gravity.

By the end of the 18th century astronomers were observing the sky with improved telescopes, and have been surveying the sky for celestial objects. One of them is William Herschel who created large telescopes which he used to sweep the sky for objects beyond the solar system. This led to the discovery of Uranus, and many other celestial bodies.

Along came the spectroscope in the 1850s, which was invented by two German physicists, Kirchoff and Bunsen. With the spectroscope, astronomers were able to identify Herschel’s mysterious nebulas. The spectroscope introduced a new science, the marriage of astronomy to physics – astrophysics.

With new scientific discoveries, such as Einstein’s theory of relativity, and the development of larger and more powerful telescopes, such as George Hale’s glass giants, more things are discovered and explored in the night sky. We now have various telescopes designed to look at the various wavelengths of the electromagnetic spectrum. And with the rivalry of superpowers, many discoveries and firsts are made through space exploration.

Much has changed since the time of Galileo. In 400 years time, with the advancement in learning, we now know more than what Galileo knew. With our grasp reaching out into the endless space, now is the best time to venture into astronomy, be it amateur or professional. With the rate of discovery there is always something new for every seeking eye.

International Year of Astronomy 2009

Philippines


2009 marks the 400th anniversary of the first astronomical observations with the use of a telescope. This year has been declared by the International Astronomical Union (IAU) as the International Year of Astronomy (IYA). This world wide event is supported by the United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural Affairs Organization (UNESCO).

1st telescope used in astronomy
The telescope was said to be invented by a Dutch lens maker. It was later modified by Galileo Galilei in 1609 and used, for the first time, for astronomical observations. Galileo’s telescope was able to magnify objects up to 30 times. Among the celestial objects he observed was the moon, Venus, Jupiter, and stars with magnitudes unobservable by the naked eye.

IYA Philippines
Each country has a National Committee on Astronomy (NCA) organized by the IAU. The NCA is composed of individual IAU members of the country, and is tasked to coordinate the event from all over the world. Along with the NCA is the Single Point of Contact (SPOC), who is tasked to coordinate with different private and government organizations who wish to participate with IYA. The SPOC will also serve as link between the Philippine Node and the IAU. The NAC in the Philippines organized a National Organizing Committee (NOC) in a meeting held on Feb. 2, 2007 at the Rizal Technological University. The NOC seeks to get the involvement government agencies and institutions, local astronomy organizations, and the science community.
IAU NCA Philippines:
Dr. Bernardo M. Soriano, Jr. (PAGASA, AGSSB) – chair
Dr. Cynthia Celebre (PAGASA, AsRDS) – SPOC
Dr. Jesus Torres (RTU, Department of Astronomy)


Planned activities
The IYA 2009 celebration is still in its planning phase but several ideas have been presented. Also, Dr. Celebre is trying to gather local legends with regards to astronomy in our culture; one of which is about the ‘mamahi’ in Sulu, which was reported in the Philippine Daily Inquirer by Mr. Ambrosio of UP. Other activities involve: lectures, exhibits, sidewalk viewing, and many others.

Philippines IYA 2009 website
www.astronomy2009.ph
Launched on September 23, 2007, the launching of the Philippine IYA website coincided with the observance of the autumnal equinox. The site will be updated with news and preparations of the IYA celebration, so everyone is invited to visit the site to keep in check.

Participation
Organizations and individuals who wish to participate in the Philippine IYA 2009 celebration can contact Dr. Cynthia Celebre or call the IYA Secretariat office at (02) 434-2715.