A Star is Named....for Humanities West

In honor of our upcoming Astronomy program and of the International Year of Astronomy, a star has been named for Humanities West. According to the official certificate:

This is to register the Star designated as 21048
with Magnitude 8, type K0,
located at the coordinates: RA 0H 4m 8.3s, and Declination 56° 55m 15.88s, to be known and named:
Humanities West
Dedicated to illuminating and elevating the human spirit
through exploration of
the many sources of modern culture.

You can see the star by going to Google Sky. We're the one right in the center of the image.

Thanks to Monika Collins, our tireless assistant to the Executive Director, for ensuring our little slice of immortality.

Celebrating the International Year of Astronomy

2009 has been designated as the International Year of Astronomy, in honor of the 400th anniversary of Galileo's first astronomical observations with a telescope. Humanities West is joining the celebration with the first program of our 25th Anniversary season: Copernicus, Galileo, and Kepler: Redefining our Place in the Universe (Oct. 2 and 3, 2009). Details of the program can be found here on our website.
Please join us for this unusual and exciting program which combines our usual focus on historical context with a look at the current state of astronomical knowledge as well as a specially commissioned dance performance by Danse Lumiere, inspired by the scientific and philosophical work of past and present astronomers.

If you would like to find out more about the International Year of Astronomy, and the associated activities being held in 140 different countries, you can visit their official web site. This short (3 minute) video clip from the European Space Agency provides an interesting and visually arresting introduction. For a more local focus, check out the activities being organized by the Chabot Space and Science Center in Oakland, whose Executive Director, Alexander Zwissler, will be our moderator for Friday night.

If you know of other local events tied to IYA2009, please share your information by adding a comment below.