IYA2009 is an international celebration of astronomy, marking the 400th anniversary of Galileo’s first looking through a telescope. Here in Canada, an army of volunteers across the country – from big urban centres to small rural and northern communities  - are coming together with hundreds of different ways to meet our national IYA goal:

“To offer an engaging astronomy experience to every person in Canada, and to cultivate partnerships to sustain public interest in astronomy.”

Our Program for celebrating IYA in Canada:

1. Galileo Moment
2. Official IYA2009 Astronomy Kit
3. Canadian First Nations, Inuit and Métis Peoples: Historical Knowledge of the Heavens
4. Dark Skies Preserves
5. Heavenly Arts & Entertainment
6. Planetaria / Science Centres
7. “Galileo’s Legacy – Discovering the Universe in the 21st Century”: Outstanding Lectures by top Canadian astronomers
8. Astronomy Student Blog
9. One Hundred Hours of Astronomy
10. Series of astronomy-themed stamps