Astronomical News that LPs make use of an expensive The workshop overall was very success- complement the current arsenal of pro- resource and that they have to provide ful and clarified the need for, and the gramme types undertaken with ESO additional benefits for the community. competitive edge of, Large Programmes facilities at the upper end. It is planned to This has led to the requirement that at ESO facilities. The increased demand monitor their success in another work- reduced data from LPs, once published, for the 3.6-metre telescope after the shop in a few years time. should be returned to the ESO Archive time limit for LPs was raised to four years so that they can be used by other astron- speaks for itself. There are some very omers, possibly for different purposes. substantial programmes in progress, References The large investment by the community which will keep this telescope busy for Wagner, S. & Leibundgut, B. 2004, The Messenger, into LPs should justify this modest return. years to come. 115, 41 There was a lively discussion on how this return should be achieved and Beyond the Large Programmes, the Pub- whether it would put astronomers using lic Surveys with VISTA and VST will Notes ESO facilities at a disadvantage com- start during this year and next year. These 1 http://www.eso.org/sci/meetings/LP2008/program. pared to users of private observatories. will be truly massive projects, which html ESO and the International Year of Astronomy 2009 Opening Ceremony Pedro Russo1 2 Figure 1. Catherine Cesarky, IAU President, Lars Lindberg Christensen1 addressing the audience during the IYA2009 Opening Ceremony Douglas Pierce-Price1 Yours to Discover”. The IYA2009 marks 1 ESO the 400th anniversary of the first astro- 2 International Astronomical Union nomical observation through a telescope Credit: IAU/Jose Francisco Salgado by Galileo Galilei. Proclaimed by the United Nations (UN) and endorsed by the The ESO contributions to the Interna- International Council for Science, the tional Year of Astronomy 2009 and IYA2009 has already captured the imagi- the Opening Ceremony, held in Paris in nation of countless individuals. The aim January 2009, are summarised. of the IYA2009 is to stimulate worldwide interest, especially among young people, “The International Year of Astronomy in astronomy and science. Events and 2009 is an important step in furthering the activities will promote a greater apprecia- interest of the public in what is arguably tion of the inspirational aspects of astron- the oldest of all sciences: astronomy.” omy that ESO is keen to foster. ESO Director General, Tim de Zeeuw, on the United Nations proclaiming 2009 as The opening ceremony of IYA2009 was the International Year of Astronomy. held in Paris, on 15–16 January, 2009, under the aegis of the UN, UNESCO and Few areas of science touch on as many the IAU. The ceremony itself featured key- topics of interest for the general public interest means that many organisations, note speeches, research findings, an as astronomy. For countless thousands such as ESO, invest in outreach initiatives. exhibition and also social aspects. About of years, eyes have gazed up at the 900 people attended, among them heavens and wondered; it could be The year 2009 has been launched by the eminent scientists, including Nobel Laure- argued that everyone is born an astrono- International Astronomical Union (IAU) and ates, and also around 100 young students mer. Modern astronomy is a highly pro- the United Nations Educational, Scientific from individual countries. The ceremony fessional field, but is not exclusively the and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) as was very well received, and the quality of domain of specialised scientists. The sky the International Year of Astronomy 2009 talks highly praised. The enthusiasm of all is a shared resource and intense public (IYA2009) under the theme “The Universe, involved shone through, and proved that 54 The Messenger 135 – March 2009 Credit: IAU/Lee Pullen Credit: ESO/D. Pierce-Price Figure 4. The Interna- tional Year of Astronomy 2009 logo. Figure 3. The ESO exhibition took prominent posi- coordinate a 24-hour webcast from tion in the display room. research observatories; the Cosmic Diary, a blog that gives the public insight into the Paranal in Chile. This was a rare opportu- lives of professional astronomers; and the nity for the audience to join astronomers Portal to the Universe, a global one-stop Figure 2. A video link with Paranal made a big impres- at work in the VLT control room, towards website for online astronomy content. sion on the audience. Here, ESO Director General Tim the end of the Chilean night. Christophe de Zeeuw is seen talking to Christophe Dumas on the big screen, live from the VLT Control Room. Dumas, head of the Science Operations The IYA2009 Secretariat at ESO HQ is the Department at the VLT, discussed the central hub of the IAU’s implementation the IYA2009 has already gained plenty of night’s observations and shared a recent of the IYA2009, and was established to momentum to help popularise astronomy image from the telescope. You can watch coordinate activities during the planning, throughout 2009, and beyond. this on the IYA2009 Opening Ceremony execution and evaluation of IYA2009. The video archive1. IYA2009 science writer, secretariat liaises continuously with the Lee Pullen, kept a “Cosmic Diary Live- — currently 137 — national nodes, task ESO’s contribution to the ceremony Blog” during the ceremony. This diary of groups, partners and organisational asso- events was regularly updated, and fol- ciates, the media and the general public ESO held an exhibition at the UNESCO lowed by people in over 130 countries. to ensure the progress of IYA2009 at all headquarters in Paris as part of the open- levels. The secretariat is staffed by Pedro ing ceremony. The exhibition presented Russo, the IYA2009 coordinator, IYA2009 information about ESO’s role in astronomy ESO’s commitment to public outreach assistant Mariana Barrosa and is man- and the Very Large Telescope (VLT), the and to IYA2009 aged by Lars Lindberg Christensen, head European Extremely Large Telescope of ESO’s education and Public Outreach (E-ELT) and the Atacama Large Millimeter/ Since plans for IYA2009 were first laid in Department. ESO’s own organisational submillimeter Array (ALMA) projects. A 2003, ESO has played a major role in IYA2009 contact is Douglas Pierce-Price. scale model of the E-ELT complemented the project. ESO is hosting the IYA2009 the exhibition. The official IYA2009 bro- Secretariat for the International Astronom- Astronomy is one of the oldest fundamen- chure, an E-ELT brochure, and “Eyes on ical Union, which coordinates the activi- tal sciences, yet continues to make a the Skies” DVDs were available for visitors. ties globally. ESO is one of the Organisa- profound impact on our culture and is a tional Associates of IYA2009, and was powerful expression of the human intel- The afternoon session on Thursday, 15 also closely involved in the resolution sub- lect. 2009 is the year in which individuals January, was chaired by the ESO Director mitted to the UN by Italy, which led to the and organisations can make a difference General Tim de Zeeuw. The session saw 62nd General Assembly of the UN pro- by popularising astronomy as never before two fascinating talks: “The New Frontier: claiming 2009 as the International Year of and really “bring the Universe down to The Exploration of the Solar System” Astronomy. Earth”. ESO’s presence at the opening by André Brahic; and “Echoes of Creation: ceremony shows our commitment to this Discovery of the Big Bang Fossil Radia- In addition to a wide array of activities grand aim. tion”, by Nobel Laureate Robert Wilson. planned both at the local and international A highlight on Friday, 16 January, was Tim level, ESO is leading three of the eleven de Zeeuw’s overview of ESO activities global Cornerstone projects. These are Notes and the live video conference from the 100 Hours of Astronomy, a worldwide 1 http://www.astronomy2009.org/webcast auditorium in Paris to ESO’s VLT on Cerro observing marathon during which ESO will The Messenger 135 – March 2009 55.