International Year of Astronomy 2009
Sharing the Wonders of the Night Sky
The winter constellations provided a spectacular backdrop to some memorable observations of the Moon and Saturn these last few months, both within School and for our public events, organized in conjunction with Villars Tourisme.
Students, staff and parents joined us for a record number of clear nights at our Kalouti Observatory last term, when we were also able to observe such wonders as the Orion Nebula. More recently, to mark the focus of the International Year of Astronomy 2009 – the 400th anniversary of Galileo’s first use of a telescope to observe the night sky - we presented a whole-School Culture on the life and work of Galileo Galilei. This was a joint project involving the Science, History and Drama Departments, notably a short performance of Brecht’s ‘The Life of Galileo’. Many thanks go to Dr. and Mrs. Harwood, Mr. Boulden, Mr. Kelway and the students of 3B for their contributions to a fascinating journey through the development of modern science.
From Earth to the Universe
On of our main projects for the IYA 2009 is a permanent outdoor exhibition of images of the Cosmos along the Avenue centrale in Villars, with explanatory texts in both French and English. The prototype of this exhibition, one of the Cornerstone Projects of the IYA 2009, was shown on the Albert Dock in Liverpool in 2008, during the city’s year as Cultural Capital of Europe. We were given permission by the international organizers to set up our version of this voyage to the furthest reaches of the Universe. The exhibition, mounted on 18 laminated A0 format aluminium boards, (see below) was set up in December 2008 in collaboration with Villars Tourisme and runs until 15th October 2009, when it will return to Aiglon to a more permanent site on campus.
For further information on IYA 2009 and the exhibition, visit the websites:
www.astronomy2009.org
www.fromearthtotheuniverse.org
Public Outreach
On the outreach front, Aiglon’s participation in the International Year of Astronomy 2009 got off to a successful, if glacial, start when we saw in the New Year with our first public star party on the 2nd January. A small but dedicated group of observers braved freezing conditions to observe the Moon and Venus at the upper village school. This venue being quite close to the streetlights of central Villars, we decided to move to the ‘Collège d’En-bas’, in the old village, for our March and April public events. Here we found the perfect venue for our future collaborations, with dark skies and plenty of space to accommodate a large public. The site was certainly appreciated during the ‘100 Hours of Astronomy’, a global event run from 2nd to 5th April, when many people came along to discover the wonders of the heavens, including some from as far away as Geneva, Neuchatel and even France, thanks to the advertising of our events on the Swiss national IYA 2009 website.
Visitors were thrilled to discover close-up images of the Moon projected onto a large TV screen captured with our newly acquired Stellacam astro-video camera. And the excitement of discovering Saturn through a telescope for the first time was shared by local school children and tourists alike. Local people and visitors were also treated to an excellent talk on ‘Life in the Universe’ in Exeter Hall by Professor André Maeder, former director of Geneva Observatory. Professor Maeder has offered to come and speak at a future Aiglon Culture, and we hope to be able to invite him back in the autumn.
Rambling and the Night Sky
Our final outreach event of this academic year was held for the 2nd Salon international de la Randonnée (the International Ramblers’ Fair), organized by Villars Tourisme over the last weekend in May. Delegates from the Fair and local enthusiasts were able to join students, staff and friends for an evening of sky-watching in Villars.
Our thanks go to the dedicated group of Aiglon students, parents and staff, whose support for and help in running our outreach events this year has been greatly appreciated.
Looking ahead
With work completed on the floor of the Kalouti Observatory, we have now installed our Celestron C11 Schmitt-Cassegrain telescope and will shortly begin CCD imaging of the night sky.
Upcoming public events from the Space Science Department include a Star Party for Aiglon alumni at the 60th Anniversary reunion of the School in July, as well as ‘La Nuit des Etoiles Filantes’, a star party for the public organized with Villars Tourisme for 11th August at the Col de la Croix, to observe the summer planets and the Perseid meteor shower.
Our autumn 2009 programme will be published shortly. Highlights will include a Parents’ Weekend exhibition to celebrate the 40th anniversary of the first lunar landing and the monumental achievements of the Apollo programme as a whole.
Watch this Space!
