She Is An Astronomer was launched now:Lets find out our future Neplese Astronomer

The highly anticipated International Year of Astronomy 2009 Cornerstone project , She Is An Astronomer, was launched today. She Is An Astronomer aims to help achieve several of the United Nations Millennium Development Goals, including promoting gender equality and empowering women.

Gender equality is a priority concern for the whole scientific community, regardless of its field, cultural background or geographic location. This is also the case for astronomy, where only approximately one quarter of all professionals are women. In some countries there are no female astronomers, whilst in others more than half the professional astronomers are female. These numbers drop towards more senior levels, suggesting that scientific careers are heavily affected by social and cultural factors and are not determined solely by ability. The International Year of Astronomy 2009 Cornerstone project, She Is An Astronomer (SIAA), has been established to address these issues and tackle the main problems.

The SIAA programme of activities was announced today during the European Week of Astronomy & Space Science at the University of Hertfordshire, UK. Boasting a mixture of international, national and local events ranging from conferences, meetings and workshops to address gender issues, events targeted at teenagers, and the central SIAA website, the variety is designed to appeal to a wide cross-section of the professional and public communities.

The official SIAA website, www.sheisanastronomer.org, provides a one-stop-shop for gender issues in astronomy and science. The site boasts five sections: profiles of living and historic astronomers; resources for female astronomers; events taking place during IYA2009; an SIAA Ambassadors' Area; and a forum where issues, lessons and challenges can be discussed, including the opportunity to question experts. The website provides neutral, informative and accessible information and will be used to advertise new events, keeping interested parties at the forefront of developments. Examples of best practices and relevant statistics will be pooled, making them accessible to the wider community. Content will be regularly added during 2009, resulting in a vast depository that will remain online long into the future, acting as an ongoing legacy.

Several of the international and national meetings arranged for 2009 feature a SIAA presence. These include the IAU General Assembly in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, meetings in the US and Egypt, a book launch in Australia, an exhibition in Germany and many local events. Spain is conducting its first ever survey of women in astronomy and has also produced a calendar featuring historic female astronomers.

IYA2009 encourages us to discuss magnificent and complex topics, from black holes to the mysteries of our Sun, but without losing sight of the core human aspects. SIAA will play its part in ensuring that the Year's impact is definitely felt here on Earth.

Source:http://www.astronomy2009.org/news/pressreleases/detail/iya0909/

Galilean Nights: New IYA2009 Cornerstone Project

Following the unprecedented success of IYA2009's 100 Hours of Astronomy, which featured hugely popular projects such as a Global Star Party, the live 24-hour webcast "Around the World in 80 Telescopes", a Science Centre webcast, and Sun Day, another weekend of astronomy events has been highlighted for 23-24 October 2009. This new IYA2009 Cornerstone Project is called Galilean Nights and will see amateur and professional astronomers around the globe taking to the streets, pointing their telescopes to the wonders that Galileo observed 400 years ago.
The project's focus is sidewalk observations of gas giant Jupiter and its moons and members of the public will as also be able to observe the Sun, our own Moon and many more celestial marvels with the own eyes, much like Galileo did 400 years ago.

In the following weeks we will provide more information regarding this exciting project, please stay tuned. Meanwhile, be sure to save the date and plan to be a part of this unique event!

Reason’s poser for great minds

Reason Karki, a student of Biratngar based Budhanilkantha Secondary School, who appeared for the SLC exam this year, is going to take part International Space Development Conference (ISDC) slated for May 28 in Florida of the USA.
Karki has registered his name in National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) on Wednesday claiming that he could prove that the Law of Gravity propounded by Sir Isaac Newton and the Principle of Space Time Curvature propounded by Albert Einstein were false. He submitted 200 US dollars to get his name registered. He claimed that he has developed mathematical formulas to prove that two principles were incomplete and false. “As I informed the NASA about my formulas, my name has been selected to prove my assertions,” Karki said.
Karki’s parents who belong to a middle class family said they would bear all the expenses to send their son to attend the conference. Karki informed that the total expenditure for his trip would come around Rs 6, 00,000. He said he would need a laptop for presentation in the conference. He has urged the government to assist him in taking part in the conference.
Reason was born in July 13, 1992 in Bhojpur, a hilly district in the eastern Nepal. He acquired education up to grade VI in Bhojpur based Saraswoti Lower Secondary School, a government school. He was later admitted to Budhanilkantha School. Reason said he faced difficulties learning as English was used as the language of instruction. He says, “I started studying books and magazines related to Science and watch TV channels including the Discovery and the History when I was studying in Grade VIII.”
Reason’s mother Mina said, “My son used to watch TV alone in the night.”
His father Raj Kumar said, “I was surprised when the school made public his findings in a press conference,” adding, “We are ready to do anything to help him accomplish his goals.”

Source:The Himalayan Times,English National Daily,April 25,2009

The Portal to the Universe opens its doors now! Lets Explore the astronomy from a single Site!!!

Keeping up-to-date with cutting-edge astronomy and space science breakthroughs has just become that much easier, thanks to the Portal to the Universe, the latest Cornerstone project of the International Year of Astronomy 2009 (IYA2009). As a high-tech website embracing Web 2.0 technologies, the Portal to the Universe aims to become a one-stop-shop for astronomy news.

Released during the European Week of Astronomy and Space Science (JENAM 2009), taking place this week at the University of Hertfordshire, UK, the Portal to the Universe website has been eagerly anticipated by journalists, science communicators, scientists, educators and members of the general public alike. The Portal to the Universe provides a global portal for online astronomy content, serving as an index and aggregator.

The site itself features news, blogs, video podcasts, audio podcasts, images, videos and more. Web 2.0 collaborative tools, such as the ranking of different services according to popularity, help the user to sift constructively through the wealth of information available and will promote interactions within the astronomy multimedia community. A range of "widgets" (small applications) have also been developed to tap into all sorts of existing "live data", such as near-live pictures of the Sun, live positions of spacecraft or live observations from telescopes.

Project Manager Lars Lindberg Christensen says: "It is clear that even in such a well-defined field as astronomy, there is much more ‘information confusion' than you might think. There is a real need in the community for this kind of site, where astronomy content is gathered in one place and is easily accessible. The International Year of Astronomy 2009 seeks to bring the Universe down to Earth, and this Portal is an excellent way of achieving this. This website will provide a single entry point to stars and galaxies".

The vision for the Portal is to enable real-time access to content by aggregating (pulling) from providers of dynamic content like blogs, images, news, etc. and distributing (pushing) to users, as well as indexing and archiving, collecting and maintaining a central repository of useful information.

Modern technology such as RSS feeds and standardised metadata make it possible to tie all the suppliers of astronomy information together with a single, semi-automatically updating portal. The result is a technologically advanced site that brings together strands of astronomy content from across the worldwide web.

Lead developer, Lars Holm Nielsen, says, "It has been a bit of a stretch to ensure that everything goes online just minutes after it has been released. We encourage everyone to participate and to submit RSS feeds for relevant news, images, videos, podcasts etc. to help make the Portal more complete."

Lars Lindberg Christensen says: "Todays' release is just the beginning. The project will develop with, and around, the community's needs and lots of new features are planned, including adding resources such as educational materials, addresses for all astronomy stakeholders such as amateur clubs, planetariums and observatories."

The Portal to the Universe can be accessed at
http://www.portaltotheuniverse.org/

Links

* Portal to the Universe website: http://www.portaltotheuniverse.org/
* IYA2009 website: http://www.astronomy2009.org/

Notes

The vision of the IYA2009 is to help the citizens of the world rediscover their place in the Universe through the day and night-time skies, appreciate the impact of astronomy and basic sciences on our daily lives, and understand better how scientific knowledge can contribute to a more equitable and peaceful society.

The aim of the IYA2009 is to stimulate worldwide interest, especially among young people, in astronomy and science under the central theme‚"The Universe, Yours to Discover". IYA2009 events and activities will promote a greater appreciation of the inspirational aspects of astronomy that embody an invaluable shared resource for all countries.

The IYA2009 activities are taking place at the global and regional levels, and especially at the national and local levels. National Nodes in each state have been formed to prepare activities for 2009. These Nodes establish collaborations between professional and amateur astronomers, science centres, educators and science communicators in preparing activities for 2009. The International Year of Astronomy was proclaimed by the United Nations on 20 December 2007.

The IAU is the international astronomical organisation that brings together almost 10 000 distinguished astronomers from all nations of the world. Its mission is to promote and safeguard the science of astronomy in all its aspects through international cooperation. The IAU also serves as the internationally recognised authority for assigning designations to celestial bodies and the surface features on them. Founded in 1919, the IAU is the world's largest professional body for astronomers.
Source:http://www.iau.org/public_press/news/release/iau0910/

Happy New Year 2066!

New IYA2009 Official Product is now available through Single Point of Contacts(SPoCs)

IYA2009 and the IYA2009 Global Sponsor, Celestron have announced its new official product, FirstScope Telescope. The FirstScope is a wonderful keepsake for anyone interested in astronomy. This quality Dobsonian style telescope features a 76 mm aperture reflector optical tube.

FirstScope is an ideal entry level astronomical telescope. It is very easy to observe with, the user simply navigates the night sky by moving the tube in the direction of their desired object, making the viewing experience a snap! The compact design makes it easy enough to take with you on your next outdoor adventure.
FirstScope Telescope: New IYA2009 Official Product at special price for IYA2009 Nodes


FirstScope will be available at a special price of 24.50 USD plus shipping costs per telescope for the IYA2009 network. IYA2009 Single Points of Contacts who wish to take this excellent opportunity should collect orders and place a single order to Celestron.They said that individual orders will not be accepted. The deadline for placing orders is 30 June,2009.For more please log on to: http://www.astronomy2009.org/news/updates/

So,Explore how many telescopes do you want for your activities or your school,club or Colleges and then give youor order to your single point of contact So that he will be able to put the order on time.

Its really a great oppertunity to all of us to have suc a good product at this price.So,explore your requirements and inform your SPoC as soon as possible.Don't miss this great oppertunity!!!!!

Fourth International Conferene on The Frontiers of Plasma Physics and technology held in Kathmandu During 6-10,April,2009

Fourth International Conference On The frontiers of Plasma Physics and Technology concluded with a success in Kathmandu today.There were total 69 oral presentations and 5o Poster presentations among which two oral and 18 poster presentations were made by Nepali Researchers of Tribhuvan University and Kathmandu University of Nepal.During the event two posters were awarded the best.The poster session was held on 7th April,2009.

The towering peak in the Himalayan range is 8848 meters high Mt. Everest.

This was the 4th conference in the series of "International conference on the Frontiers of Plasma Physics and Technology" and the series was being organized in different developing countries to encourage a large number of local researchers to participate in the conference. The earlier three conferences were held in Bangalore 2002, Goa 2005 (India) and Bangkok (Thailand) in 2007. This series was planned to provide a unique opportunity to the researchers to directly interact with the worldwide experts and acquaint with the latest research topics. Researchers of all nationalities are welcome to participate.
Progress in science and technology strongly contributes to the development of social and economic growth. In the recent years, through the conference series, a strong networking was being established with noted credentials, among researchers from very diverse fields including physics, biology, chemistry, medicine etc. One of the major objectives of this conference series was to highlight the inter-connectivity aspects. Special attention was focused on understanding the advancing complex-fundamental issues, technologies and further, explores the interdisciplinary fields. Plasma physics is a very rapidly emerging area with widespread applications, providing an exceptional opportunity to the researchers.

100 Hours of Astronomy Concludes in Nepal

Nepal celebrated 100 hours of Astronomy with different activities like Star parties,Lectures and screening of the movie The Eyes on The Skies during 2-5 April,2009 as International Astronomical Union(IAU) and UNESCO have announced the year 2009 as International Year of Astronomy(IYA2009) to mark the 400th years of exploration or the universe by telescope with different activities through out the world to enhance the public understanding of our place in the universe as "The Universe,Yours to Discover"



On 2nd April,the first day of 100HA, there was screening program of "The Eyes on The Skies" movie at St. Xavier's College,Maitighar,Kathmandu between 11:55-13:00 Hrs.More than 100 students from I.Sc. and B.Sc. along with teachers attended the screening.Before the screening of the movie I gave brief introduction of IYA2009 and Rijendra Thapa,one of my friend,gave brief information regarding International Year of Science.This was the only program on 2nd April in Nepal.



on 3rd April,2nd day of 100HA,we had planned for the star party to observe The Ringed Planet Saturn and The Moon,but we could not do due to adverse weather conditions.There was another star party organized by Galileo Astronomical Society of Pokhara,Nepal(GASPO-Nepal) which was also postponed due to the weather condition.


On 4th April,We had a program at Celebration Co-Ed School,which was about 8 km away from the main city 12:30 Hrs onwards.During the program we screened "The Eyes on The Skies".lectures on Astronomy and Solar Observation with the three solar glasses that I have brought with me from Paris,France during my participation on IYA2009 Opening ceremony and IAU Symposium 260 "The Role of Astronomy in Our Society".There were more than 65 participants from the class 8-10 along with some parents and some small children.After the event one of the boy of 12 years wrote in our attendance book I like the Sun.During the event I have shown some video clips of The Sun taken by Hinode Satellite.



There was also another Star party at Takshashila Academy during 11:30-13:00 Hrs to Observe The Sun with 4 inch Telescope(Newtonian reflector.More than 500 people enjoyed the Sun during the star party and following the request of the public we have scheduled another star party on 6th April to observe The Sun', said Jayanta Acharya,SpoC for Nepal and a mathematics teacher of the School.

Press Release:Celebrating 100 Hours of Astronomy in Nepal

Nepal Astronomical Society (NASO) is organizing a program on Sturday, 4th April, 2009 at Celebration Co-Ed School, Jorpati (near Orthopaedic Hospital) celebrate 100 Hours of Astronomy in Nepal. Different events are taking place all over the world to celebrate 100 HA from April 2-5, 2009.
International Astronomical Union (IAU) and UNESCO have declared 2009 as International Year of Astronomy (IYA2009) to mark 400 years of the telescopic observation of our cosmos my Galileo Galilei in 1609 A.D.

Program Details:
Venue: Celebration Co-Ed School, Jorpati (near Orthopaedic Hospital)
Date: Saturday, 4th April, 2009
Time: 12:30 onwards
Programs:screening of The Eyes on The Skies, some lectures on Astronomy by amateur astronomers of Nepal and Telescopic observation of The SUN (if weather permits)
Contact: 4910332


NASO would like to invite to all of you who have interest on astronomy to the event and celebrate 100 HA along with the young minds of the nation. Also, we will like to distribute The Copies of The DVD’s of the movie to the Television channels so that we all Nepalese have the opportunity to celebrate 100 HA in Nepal.

Happy 100 Hours of Astronomy.