100 Hours of Astronomy

"The International Astronomical Union has deemed this year the International Year of Astronomy 2009 and hopes that programs carried out around the world will help "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." One of the IAU’s cornerstone projects for the IYA2009 is the 100 Hours of Astronomy, which is set to begin on April 2nd. By looking up and observing the wonders of our Universe, the IAU hopes that people can get the same sense of amazement that Galileo felt 400 years ago, when mankind first started to gain a deeper understanding of the cosmos."