Editor's Summary
1 January 2009
A big year for astronomy
Marking the International Year of Astronomy (IYA), Jeff Kanipe takes a look at the prospects of the 'big four' major new telescopes. They have a tough act to follow, as a trawl through 'Hubble's greatest hits' reveals. The 'Dark Skies Awareness' campaign is part of IYA 2009; Malcolm Smith argues the case for a transformation that would not only help astronomers but would also benefit human health and energy conservation. Also part of IYA 2009 is the celebration of 400 years of the telescope; Owen Gingerich tracks the link between technology and our changing world-view. Robert Poole's book Earthrise focuses on the psychological impact of the Apollo 8 image of Earth over the lunar horizon, though our reviewer feels that our attitudes towards our planet have not changed enough. 'Hidden treasures' visits the Paris Observatory and astronaut Alan Bean talks about his moonscape paintings. In Futures, David Blair looks back on 2009 and in a Letter, Alyssa Goodman et al. reveal the importance of self-gravity in star formation. See the Editorial and visit http://www.nature.com/astro09 for more.
Editorial: Starry messages
The first scientific observations with telescopes displaced Earth from the centre of the Universe. Modern technology continues to humble us but should not distance us from the cosmos itself.
doi:10.1038/457007a
Commentary: Time to turn off the lights
Cities needlessly shine billions of dollars directly into the sky each year and, as a result, a fifth of the world's population cannot see the Milky Way. Malcolm Smith explains why a dark sky has much to offer everyone.
doi:10.1038/457027a
Essay: Year of astronomy: Mankind's place in the Universe
Technological developments in astronomy have long helped to answer some of the greatest questions tackled by humanity, recounts Owen Gingerich.
doi:10.1038/457028a
Books and Arts: Year of astronomy: Visions of ourselves
The view of our planet from space is beautiful and humbling, yet this shift in human perspective has not altered how we care for our environment, argues Charles Cockell.
doi:10.1038/457030a
Books and Arts: Year of astronomy: Q&A: One giant leap for art
Astronaut Alan Bean stepped down onto the lunar surface during the 1969 Apollo 12 mission, but left NASA in 1981 to devote himself to painting. With exhibitions of his work taking place this year to celebrate the 40th anniversary of the first Moon landing, he tells Nature how he attempts to convey his lunar experience.
doi:10.1038/457031a
Books and Arts: Year of astronomy: Hidden treasures: the Paris Observatory
Giovanni Domenico Cassini helped to create an institution that pinpointed Neptune, showed that light had a finite speed — and even mapped France, explains Alison Abbott.
doi:10.1038/457033a
Review: 18 years of science with the Hubble Space Telescope
doi:10.1038/nature07621
First paragraph | Full Text | PDF (1,361K)
Futures: Gravitational astronomy 101
It's a bit of a shock.
doi:10.1038/457122a
