Astronomy Year in Paris

The grand Opening Ceremony of the International Year of Astronomy 2009 will be held at the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) Headquarters in Paris, 15 and 16 January 2009.

Hundreds of attendees are expected, including members of royal families, ministers, Nobel Prize winners, scientists from around the globe, and young astronomy undergraduate students from more than 100 countries.

The International Year of Astronomy 2009 (IYA2009) is a global celebration of astronomy and its contribution to society and culture, with strong emphasis on education, public participation and the involvement of young people, and with events at national, regional, and global levels. Many thousands of individuals in over 135 countries are already involved, forming the world's largest ever astronomy network.

IYA2009 represents astronomy as a peaceful global scientific endeavour that unites astronomers in an international, multicultural family of scientists, working together to find answers to some of the most fundamental questions that humankind has ever asked.