IYA 2009 April 4, 2009

More than 150 general astronomy students, under the direction of Professors Roy McCord and Jennifer Tan, from Irvine Valley College (IVC) will provide visitors to the Irvine Spectrum Center with a unique opportunity to participate in the International Year of Astronomy 24 Hour Global Star Party (IYA2009 24 Hour Global Star Party) Saturday, April 4, with solar viewing available from noon to 3:00 p.m. and lunar viewing available from 6:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. The celebration will include movies and presentations at both Giant Wheel Court and in front of Edwards Cinema. The IYA2009 is an international, year-long celebration in honor of the 400th anniversary of Galileo’s first use of the telescope for astronomy.

Twenty IVC honors class astronomy students will be managing activities, guiding visitors and answering questions for the public along with 25 observational astronomy students who will be operating the telescopes and instructing visitors on how to optimize their observational experience. In addition, representatives from Celestron, a California telescope manufacturer, will also be on-hand to educate the public, as well as members of local and international astronomy organizations.

Official Website: http://www.astronomy2009.us/