This week marks the start of the International Year of Astronomy, a year-long celebration of the night sky in all its splendor!

This year was picked by the International Astronomical Union and the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization because it occurs 400 years after Galileo turned one of the first telescopes toward the heavens. Peering through that small window, Galileo discovered that the Moon has craters, Venus has phases, Jupiter has moons, and Saturn has rings.

Get out there this year and look up! The IYA09 website has all the details on worldwide events, hopefully some near you!