Rubi Martinez
The year 2009 is the International Year of Astronomy (IYA), a celebration of Galileo Galilei’s world-changing discoveries since he first looked up into the sky with his telescope 400 years ago.
Officers of the Pierce College Astronomy Society including Debbie Tsta, Robert Slyger, Penny Ward and astronomy professor Carolyn Mallory welcomed students and staff Friday from 7:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. in Business Education 3200.
Guest speaker Mike Simmons talked more in-depth about IYA, and refreshments were served during the event. Those who attended were welcome to stay for a demonstration on how to use a telescope.
“Mike Simmons has been a friend of mine for about 10 years,” Mallory said. “He is the main person in charge of IYA in the United States.”
Simmons, who has more than 37 years of experience in the field, has been a member of the Los Angeles Astronomy Society since early 1970 and has served as president for two terms. Simmons also founded an organization called Astronomers Without Borders, which was created to bring people from other nations together for the purpose of promoting knowledge.
Galileo Galilei, an astronomer and physicist born in Pisa, Italy made many contributions to the world of science, including most notably his improvements of the telescope which allowed better observation of the moon and stars. He supported the heliocentric theory, which stated planets revolve around the sun and not the Earth. This got him in trouble with the Catholic Church and he was convinced to publicly withdrawal his support to the theory.
Four hundred years later, we have come a long way in scientific advancement thanks to his contributions.
A message on www.astronomy2009.org from Catherine Cesarsky, president of the International Astronomical Union, said, “The International Year of Astronomy 2009 gives all nations a chance to participate in this ongoing exciting scientific and technological revolution.”
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