"The Universe, Yours to Discover" is the motto of the International
Year of Astronomy - 2009. The grand opening ceremony for this year-long
event will take placeá  at the UNESCO head quarters in Paris on 15 -
16th January.á  The entire opening ceremony can be viewed from the links
at:á  http://ama09.obspm.fr/ama09/open.php

During this event, a 24 hour e-VLBI session has been organized
involving radio telescopes from all over the world. Arecibo
Observatory's 305-m dish will be participating in thisá  (between
10 am - 1 pm AST on the 15th).á  A real-time web page will show
this event, with explanations suited for students and other viewers.
This is to be found at:
http://www.expres-eu.org/iya2009/index.html

An added Arecibo-related feature is the evening program at the Opening
Ceremony on the 15th.á  Here, Arecibo's one-time graduate student,
currently of Chicago's Adler Planetarium, Dr. Jose Fransisco Salgado
will present his "Film of the Adler Planetarium"á  program with the
music, "The Planets" by Gustav Holst. (See http://svl.adlerplanetarium.org/videosuites
for a complete schedule of his video suits)

As stated by the UNESCO Director General, Koichiro Matsuura,á  "The Sky
belongs to everyone.á  Astronomy is and can be an instrument toá  promote
peace and understanding among nations." Let us hope that this year
brings peace and happiness to all.