The International Year of Astronomy in 2009 was declared by the United Nations agency UNESCO and the International Astronomical Union. One of the big goals of this international and global effort is to have one million people look through a telescope during the year. The ideas is driven by the 400th anniversary of Galileo's first looking through a telescope at the Heavens. To that end, we won't let a little sky brightness (well a LOT of sky brightness...) stand in our way. In fact, we will use the street lights and corners and parks to safely show the wonders of the night sky to people in Manhattan who may never have looked through a telescope in their lives. The American Astronomical Society and the Astronomical Society of the Pacific are actively seeking us out. New York City once could see the Milky Way from an evening sky. And this was just fifty years ago. The simple act of looking up and talking about the stars at night is a great introduction to science. We hope to bring our diverse community out and under the skies. We want to show, once again, that the night sky is for all people. The lessons, knowledge, wonder and romance of those little lights in the sky crosses all cultures and all languages. All cultures own the stars in their stories and in their histories. We all feel the same awe and quiet when we look up in the sky. This yearning to know what is out there has spawned mythologies and drawn mankind to the first tentative footsteps on the Moon.

It is the intention of the Inwood Astronomy Project to inspire a renewed interest in the most wondrous of all our natural resources: the night sky. We also hope to strike the spark of curiosity in the youth of our neighborhood. Who knows? The kid playing stickball in the hot summer streets might grow up to build a rocket to the Moon.

We are currently seeking partners from the East side of Broadway in our neighborhood to reach out to our large Dominican and Puerto Rican communities.

Come on out and see The Greatest Show "Off" Earth!

Jason Kendall
Director

• New York City Parks
  • Co-Sponsorship and Support of our activities in the Parks.
  • Special thanks to Administrator Jennifer Hoppa and Special Projects Coordinator Linda Huntington of the Northen Manhattan Parks Office. Without them leading the way, this project would not be possible.
• The Amateur Astronomers Association of New York.
• Nancy Bruning and the Friends of Fort Tryon Park.
• Dr. Steven Tushman DDS, New York City. (CD pressing for Up Up Up in the Sky).
• Columbia University Department of Astronomy Public Outreach.
• The Big Bangers: Matt Gordon, Clara Barton Green and Eric Vetter.
• NASA / JPL Solar System Ambassadors Program

• Jason Kendall, Director of the Project
• Donna Stearns, Composer of Up Up Up in the Sky, the IAP Theme Song
• St. Louis AAS Meeting, June 2008
• Elvin Garcia
• Bruce Kamiat
• Howard Fink
• Peter Tagatac

Come see what's up in the sky!

Jason Kendall
Director: Inwood Astronomy Project
NASA/JPL Solar System Ambassador to New York City

The Inwood Astronomy Project is thankful for the support of the NASA/JPL Solar System Ambassadors Program, the Amateur Astronomers Association of New York, and the New York Public Library


We look up to look within