One of the International Year of Astronomy 2009 (IYA2009) Cornerstone projects that I’m really looking forward to is From Earth to the Universe (FETTU).
During the next year, images of a variety of astronomical objects — planets, comets, stars, nebulae, galaxies, clusters, and more — will be on display in some non-traditional venues across the world. The purpose of FETTU is to bring the beauty of astronomy to a wider public by showcasing them in places like public parks, shopping malls, airports, and metro stations. Each image will also have a caption to help educate those who stop to look about the basics of astronomy.
FETTU images are already on display in more than 40 countries. In the United States, there has already been an exhibit in Long Beach, California, for the U.S. IYA2009 opening ceremony in January. And right now, the academic buildings of the Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology in Terre Haute, Indiana, and the Tucson International Airport are hosting FETTU images. Exhibits appear starting this April in Atlanta, Chicago, California’s Bay Area, and Memphis, Tennessee.
Unless I can find an excuse to fly through O’Hare International Airport in the next few months (you never know), I’m looking forward to June and an exhibit around the capitol building in Madison, Wisconsin. You can find when an FETTU exhibit might be in your area at www.fromearthtotheuniverse.org.
And if you can't make it to any of these exhibitions, you can always visit Astronomy.com's Online Reader Gallery to see stunning images of astronomical objects from amateur astrophotographers. More great pictures are added daily.
Image label and credits: Pictured (left-right, top-bottom): Saturn (NASA/JPL); Orion Complex (Davide De Martin); Eagle Nebula (KPNO); Cassiopeia A (NASA/Chandra); M81 (NASA/GALEX); Bullet Cluster (NASA/Chandra/Hubble, Magellan & ESO)