Share the Skies is a project funded through the Office of Educational Technology (Virginia Department of Education) that makes access to a remote telescope located in Australia possible for K-12 students. This access enables students to study the night sky during school hours. Students and teachers have the opportunity to slew a telescope to a selected celestial object and capture an image of that object using browser technology. To find out more about the project or to find educational resources related to the study of astronomy, visit the Share the Skies web site at http://www.sharetheskies.org.

What time is it in Pingelly, Western Australia? Follow this link to show the time in Australia as well as to determine the correct time to schedule for your telescope session: http://www.timeanddate.com/worldclock/personalapplet.html?cities=212,196

Training workshops:

• Coming soon!

International Year of Astronomy

The United Nations has officially designated 2009 as the International Year of Astronomy, celebrating the 400ath anniversary of Galileo turning his telescope to the skies. IYA will be a global celebration, and many organizations are preparing to launch a multi-year program of education and outreach. To find updates to the IYA programs, visit the following web sites:

• http://www.astronomy2009.org
• http://www.astronomy2009.us
• http://www.astrosociety.org

I am at the Preparing for the International Year of Astronomy Symposium and am amazed at the number of programs that have been or are currently being developed in celebration of IYA. An all day session on May 31 served as an introduction to a variety of programs currently under development. NASA has developed some wonderful educational resources, and the Night Sky Network is providing learning packets as well as opportunities to “chat with a scientist.” Multiple projects will allow students to contribute data, manipulate telescopes, and interact with astronomers. As these programs become available, I hope to post more complete information here. In the meantime, I will be adding to the Share the Skies links page. Check back often to see what new opportunities are available for teachers and students.