2009 will be International Year of Astronomy and already some initiatives are being launched in preparation, with Poland participating.
Ela Krajewska reports
On the threshold of International Year of Astronomy, some of the most important issues were whether we can see the night sky at all! This August, "DARKSKY 2008", the 8th European Symposium for the Protection of the Night Sky was held in Vienna, Austria. Poland's Julia Romanowska from POLARIS organisation was there. 'The symposium was held in Vienna, at the Kuffner Observatory with representatives of most countries, talking about the International Year of Astronomy and events planned, especially dark sky awareness events,' she said.
POLARIS has scored some success in dark sky campaigning: they have convinced the authorities of their home town, Sopotnia Wielka, southern Poland, to switch off streetlights from midnight to 4 am, making this and the neighbouring Świnna a mecca for astronomers. Next year they hope that all of Poland will be switching off lights.
'For the year 2008/2009 we have programmes connected with NOAO, the American National Optical Astronomical Observatory. We all feel that uniting our efforts will give much better results if all over Europe and Poland there will be events on a huge scale. I hope it will go really fine,' said Julia Romanowska.
These programmes will be GLOBE at Night (in March), the Great World Wide Star Count (in October) and How Many Stars (January, February, April through September, November and December. And, most spectacularly, Poland is to take part in Earth Hour:
'There will be the huge international event on March 28th, with all countries, including Poland participating. That week Globe at Night finishes and Earth Hour will be held between 8.30 and 9.30 pm. It's important to unify efforts and our dark sky awareness campaign so people in the EU can feel that they at the same time thinking about the sky and seeing the Milky Way for future generations. And I hope there will be good weather because that's really important!,' added Romanowska.
POLARIS members point out that, being the homeland of Nicolas Copernicus, the first astronomer who proved that the sun was at the centre of our planetary system, Poland has a heritage – and obligations to the night sky.