Astronomy is one of the oldest basic sciences which was created 4,000 years B.C. in the ancient Egypt and Central America. Over many centuries it has contributed fundamentally to the evolution of other branches of science and applications in a wide range of fields, including religion, art, culture and philosophy. In recognition of its merits and importance the United Nations declared 2009 The International Year of Astronomy (IYA2009) based on the initiative of Italy.

Nowadays people widely recognize that astronomical observations and methods have profound implications for the development of any society within the general conception of the universe in the context of the human heritage.

The aim of IYA2009 is to commemorate the first use by an Italian scientist Galileo Galilei of an astronomical device called a telescope. This memorial event initiated 400 years of astronomical discoveries and triggered a scientific revolution which greatly changed and affected our worldview. The IYA2009 helps citizens of the entire world re-discover their place in the universe through the day and night time sky – and thereby engage a personal sense of wonder and discovery. This is why its motto and the central theme is “The Universe, Yours to Discover”. In this regard, all people should realize the impact of astronomy and basic sciences on our daily lives, as well as better understand how scientific knowledge can promote a greater appreciation of the inspirational aspects of astronomy that embody invaluable shared resources for all nations in the globe and contribute to a more equitable and peaceful world. So far 105 nations and 18 organizations have committed to participate in the IYA2009 activities which will outreach more than half population of the world and which take place at the global and regional levels and especially on the national and local scale. Each country has set up its National Committee to prepare events and activities for 2009, including seminars, exhibitions, workshops, visual observations, etc. This is a real fest for professional and amateur astronomers, science centres, educators and science communicators as well as public at large.

The brief history of astronomy can be presented as follows:

Ancient Astronomy

Around 4,000 B.C. – the oldest astronomical observation ever recorded (Egypt and Central America);

Around 3,000 B.C. – the first written materials on astronomy (Egypt, China, Mesopotamia and Central America);

2,697 B.C. – the oldest preserved relation on the Sun eclipse (China);

Around 2,000 B.C. – the first solar-lunar calendars were composed in Egypt and Mesopotamia. The Stonehenge Sanctuary (England) was constructed. Constellations were first drawn up by the ancient astronomers;

VI century B.C. – Pythagoras and Thales of Miletus speculate that the Earth is a sphere;

Around 330 B.C. – Aristotle wrote the work “On Heavens”;

Around 280 B.C. – Aristrachus of Samos suggested that the Earth revolves about the Sun (heliocentric concept of the universe). He also provided the first estimations on Earth-Sun distance;

Around 240 B.C. – Eratosthenes of Cyrene (now Shahhat, Libya) measured the circumference of the Earth with extraordinary accuracy by determining astronomically the difference in latitude between the cities of Syene (now Aswan) and Alexandria, Egypt;

Around 130 B.C. – Hipparchus discovered the precession of the equinoxes and developed the first star catalogue and charts ( around 1,000 brightest stars);

45 B.C. – the introduction of Julian calendar ( purely solar calendar) to the Roman Empire upon the advice of the Greek astronomer Sosigenes;

Around A.D. 140 – Ptolemy suggested the geocentric theory of the universe in his famous work “Mathematike Syntaxis” widely recognized from its Arabic translation as “Almagest”.

Medieval Astronomy

IX-XI century A.D. – intensive development of Arabic and Persian astronomy (star charts and catalogues, planets and the Moon movement, better estimations of the Earth size and calendar improvement);

A.D. 813 – Al-Mamon founded the Bagdad school of astronomy. The work “Mathematike Syntaxis” by Ptolemy was translated into Arabic as “Al-Majisti” (Great Work) later called by Latin scholars “Almagest”;

A.D. 903 – Al-Sufi drew up his star catalogue;

1054 – the Chinese astronomers observed supernova in Taurus (now this supernova remnants are known as the Crab Nebula (M1).

Astronomy of Renaissance

1543 – Copernicus published “De Revolutionibus Orbium Coelestium” in which he provides mathematical evidence for the heliocentric theory of the universe;

1572 – Tycho Brahe discovered a supernova in the constellation Cassiopeia (now this supernova remnants are known as Cassiopeiae A);

1576 – Tycho Brahe founded the observatory at Uraniborg;

1582 (October 15) – The Pope Gregory XIII introduced the Gregorian calendar;

1595 – David Fabricius discovered the long-period variable star in the constellation Cetus, named Mira Ceti;

1600 (February 17) – Giordano Bruno after some eight years of imprisonment was charged with blasphemy, immoral conduct and heresy for challenging the official church doctrine on the origin and structure of the universe and was burned at the stake in place called Campo dei Fiori ;

1603 – Johann Bayer published his star catalogue “Uranometria“. He introduced the so-called “Bayer designation“, the system of assigning Greek letters to stars which is widely used nowadays;

1604 – Kepler discovered supernova in Ophiuchus constellation;

1608 – Lippershey, a Dutch spectacles maker, invented the first telescope;

1609 – Galileo first used the telescope for astronomical purposes (discovers four Jovian moons, the Moon craters, and the Milky Way). The first two of Kepler’s Laws of Planetary Motions were announced;

1611 – Galileo, Scheiner, and Fabricius observed sunspots;

1612 – Peiresc discovered the Orion Nebula (M42);

1619 – Kepler published the Third Law of Planetary Motion in his famous work “Harmonice Mundi”(Harmony of the World);

1631 – Kepler predicted the Transit of Mercury which was observed by Gassendi;

1632 – Galileo published his work “Dialogue on the Two Chief World Systems” – the discussion of Ptolemaic and Copernican hypotheses in relation to the physics of tides ( the original version including title – originally “Dialogue on the Tides”-was licensed and altered by the Roman Catholic censors in Rome);

1633 – Galileo was forced by the Inquistion to recant his theories;

1639 – Jeremiah Horrocks observed the transit of Venus;

1647 – Hevelius, an astronomer from Gdansk, published the first map of the Moon;

1656 – Huyghens discovered the nature of Saturn’s rings and Titan which is the largest satellite of Saturn. Foundation of the Copenhagen Observatory;

1659 – Huyghen observed markings on the planet Mars;

1666 – Cassini observed the polar caps on Mars;

1668 – Newton built the first reflecting (Newtonian)telescope;

1669 – Montanari discovered the variable nature of Algol;

1671- Foundation of Paris Observatory in France;

1675- Foundation of Greenwich Observatory in England. Romer measureed the velocity of light. Cassini discovered the main division in Saturn’s rings;

1683 – Cassini observed the zodiacal light.

Modern Astronomy

1687 – Sir Issac Newton publishe his revolutionary work “Philosophiae Naturalis Principia Mathematica” establishing the theory of universal gravitation which is considered to be a turning point in the history of science;

1705 – Halley predicted the return of Halley’s Comet in 1758;

1725 – Flamsteed, the first astronomer royal of England, published his star catalogue. He introduced star numbering in each constellation in order of increasing right ascension;

1728 – Halley discovered the star motion. James Bradley proposed the theory of the aberration of the fixed stars, including the aberration of light;

1729 – Chester More Hall proposed the principle of the achromatic refractor;

1744 – a six-tailed Cheseaux comet was observed;

1750 – Thomas Wright speculated about the origin of the solar system;

1755 – Immanuel Kant proposed the hypothesis of the origin of celestial bodies;

1758 – Palitzsch observed Halley’s comet return previously predicted;

1761 – Lomonosov, a famous Russian scientist, discovered the atmosphere of Venus;

1767 – the foundation of a magazine “The Nautical Almanac“;

1781 – Charles Messier, searching for the comets, discovered tens of deep sky objects (galaxies, nebula, and star clusters) which he compiled in his catalogue. Herschel discovered Uranus;

1784 – Goodricke opened the variable nature of Delta Cephei;

1789 – Herschel erected a telescope at Slough with a 48-in (1.22-m) mirror and a focal length of 40 ft (12.2 m). Using this telescope, he resolved stars in different nebulas;

1796 – Laplace proposed the Nebular Hypothesis of the origin of the solar system based on the theory of stellar evolution;

1801 – Piazzi, an Italian astronomer, discovered the first planetoid called Ceres;

1802 – Herschel announced the discovery of binary star systems. Wollaston observed dark lines in the solar spectrum;

1803 – fall of meteorites at L’Aigle. The explanation of the nature of meteorites was established;

1811 – Olber proposed the theory of comet tails;

1814 – Fraunhofer provided a detailed description of the solar spectrum;

1818 – Pons discovered the predicted return of Encke’s Comet;

1826 – discovery of Biela’s Comet;

1833 – The Leonids great meteor shower;

1834 – Bessel inferred that the irregularity of proper motion of Sirius was due to the presence of its invisible companion;

1837 – Beer and Madler published the first accurate map of the Moon;

1838 – Bessel determined the distance of star called 61 Cygni. This was the first determination of star distance;

1839-40 – the first application of photography to astronomy (Draper took the first photograph of the Moon);

1842 – discovery of Doppler’s Principle;

1843 – Schwabe described the sunspot cycle;

1845 – observation of the break-up of Biela’s Comet;

1846 – Johann Gottfried Galle discovered the planet Neptune based on its position calculated by the French astronomer Joseph Leverrier;

1851 – Foucault provided evidence for the rotation movement of the Earth by giving a spectacular demonstration by suspending a pendulum on a long wire from the dome of the Pantheon in Paris;

1858 – appearance of Donati’s Comet;

1859 – Kirchoff provided the interpretation of the dark lines in the star spectra;

1859-62 – Argelander published the catalog of over 300,000 stars “ Bonner Durchmusterung” (BD);

1862 – Clark discovered Sirius B based on calculations by Bessel;

1860-63 – the beginning of spectral analysis of stars. Huggins identified elements in the spectra of Betelgeuse and Aldebaran;

1867 – description of Wolf-Rayet stars;

1868 – Jansen and Lockyer observed solar prominences;

1872 – the Bieliid meteor shower;

1877 – Hall discovered Martian satellites, Phobos and Deimos. Schiaparelli observed the Martian canals;

1878 – the Great Red Spot on Jupiter became prominent;

1890 – Lockyer announced his theory of stellar evolution. Vogel opened spectroscopic binaries;

1894 – Percival Lowell founded the Flagstaff Observatory in Arizona, USA;

1897 – the foundation of Yerkes Observatory.

Astronomy of the 20th Century

1900 – Chaberlin and Moulton proposed the new theory of the solar system’s origin;

1901 – appearance of Nova Persei;

1905 – the foundation of Mount Wilson Observatory established exclusively for the study of the Sun. Later also used to research stars, nebulas, and galaxies. Einstein proposed the basis of the special Theory of Relativity, first described in his paper “On the Electrodynamics of Moving Bodies“. The theory is based on two principles: the principle of relativity, that physical laws are the same in all inertial reference systems and the principle of the invariance of the speed of light, that the speed of light in a vacuum is a universal constant;

1908 – Hertzsprung described giant and dwarf stars. Leavitt discovered the relationship period – absolute magnitude for Cepheids;

1911-14 – Hertzsprung and Russell discovered the relationship between the star spectral type and star absolute magnitude (diagram H-R). Goddard began practical experiments with rockets;

1915 – Adams discovered White Dwarfs (Sirius B);

1916 – Eddington proposed the first premises of the theory of intrinsic star structure.

Einstein proposed his general Theory of Relativity, where he described the interactions of bodies (gravitational forces) on explained as the influence of bodies on the geometry of space-time;

1918 – Shapley provided the first model of the galaxy structure;

1918-24 – Cannon published the fundamental catalogue star spectra;

1919 – Barnard issued the catalogue of dark nebulas;

1920 Slipher announced the discovery of Red Shifts in the spectra of galaxies. The first direct measurement of star diameter using interpherometer;

1923 – Hubble proved that the galaxies lie beyond the Milky Way;

1926 – Goddard fired the first liquid fuel rocket;

1927 – Oort provds that the center of our galaxy lies in the direction of the Sagittarius;

1929 – Edwin Powell Hubble discovered linear relationships between the galaxy distance and its radial velocity, demonstrated by the shift of spectral lines toward red. This indicated that galaxies move away from each other;

1930 – Tombaugh discovered Pluto based on Lowell’s predictions;

1931 – Jansky discovered cosmic radio waves;

1937 – Reber constructed the first radio telescope;

1937-40 – Gamow proposed the first theory of stellar evolution;

1942 – Strand speculated that 61 Cygni was attended by an exoplane;

1944 – Van de Hulst suggested that interstellar hydrogen must emit radio waves at 21.1 cm;

1946 – Bay obtained the first radar images of the Moon;

1947 – Ambarcumian discovered star associations;

1949 – the completion of the Hale 200-inch reflector at Mount Palomar;

1951 – Ewen and Purcell discovered the 21.1 cm hydrogen radio waves predicted by van de Hulst. Determination of the spiral structure of our galaxy;

1957, October 4 – the first artificial satellite launched by the Russians;

1959 – the Russian Luniks satellites: Lunik I passes the Moon; Lunik II lands on the Moon. Radio-location of the Sun;

1961,April 12 – The first man (the Russian astronaut Youri Gargarin) in space;

1962 – the first American orbital flight by John Glenn. Planetary probes: Mars I (Russia) and Mariner II (USA). Discovery of the first galactic source of X-ray radiation (Sco X-1);

1963 – Van de Kamp reported a planet associated with Bernard’s Star. Discovery of the first quasar (3C 273);

1964 – close range pictures of the Moon from Ranger VII (USA);

1965 – Penzias and Wilson discovered cosmic fossil radiation, providing direct evidence of the Big Bang Theory;

1966 – the first soft landing on the Moon (Luna 9 – Russia and Surveyor I – USA). Russian probe landed on Venus;

1967 – discovery of a pulsar;

1968 – the first manned flight around the Moon (Apollo 8: Borman, Lovell, and Anders);

1969, July 20-21 – the first man on the Moon (Apollo 11: Armstrong and Aldrin);

1970 – Satellite Uhuru scans the sky in the X-ray range. The first successful soft landing on Venus (Venera 7 – Russia);

1971 – final testing of 236-inch Soviet reflector. The first probes in orbit around Mars and the first soft landing on Mars (Mars 3 – Russia). The first manned mechanical vehicle on the Moon (Apollo 15 – USA);

1972 – satellite “Copernicus conducted spectroscopic ultraviolet observations of stars and interstellar matter with high resolution. The first observations in gamma radiation range. Launch of Pioneer 10 – the first probe to Jupiter (USA);

1973 – the first images of Jupiter transmitted from the close vicinity by Pioneer 10 (USA);

1974 – the first image of Mercury’s surface transmitted by Mariner 10 (USA);

1975 – completion of the 6-meter telescope in Zielenczukskaja (Russia);

1977 – discovery of Uranus rings;

1978 – discovery of Pluto’s moon. New data on celestial objects collected by satellite Einstein (X-ray);

1980 – the first images of Saturn and its rings transmitted from close vicinity by space probe Voyager 1 (USA);

1987 – supernova in the Large Magellanic Cloud visible to naked eye, as a result of explosion of blue super-giant Sanduleak 69 deg. 202;

1988 – discovery of quasars approximately at a distance of 17 billion light years;

1989 – Magellan mission to radar map the surface Venus.Voyager 2 approached the planet Neptune. Pluto at perihelion.NASA launched Cosmic Background Explorer (COBE) satellite;

1990 – the space shuttle Discovery put the Hubble Space Telescope (twelve-ton, 94-inch mirror) into orbit;

1991 – the launch of the Compton Gamma Ray Observatory (GRO);

1992 – the Hubble Space Telescope photographs in the Large Magellanic Cloud the hottest star ever recorded (temp. 360,000 degrees Fahrenheit). The data received from satellite COBE proves the existence of temperature fluctuations in the background radiation which is a strong evidence supporting the Big Bang theory. The discovery of the first object orbiting the Sun beyond the planet Pluto, in Kuiper Belt. The Vatican (pope John Paul II) announce that the Catholic Church erred in condemning Galileo’s beliefs;

1993 – detection of the brightest burst of gamma rays ever recorded – the Super Bowl Burst;

1994 – comet Shoemaker-Levy crashed into Jupiter. This is considered by many, the most spectacular event in the history of astronomy.

The history of astronomy and cosmology is ever increasingly packed with events, activities and discoveries today. The above chronology is a tribute to all scientists, astronomers, cosmonauts and astronauts who dedicated their lives to this challenging and interesting branch of science. IYA2009 is a year o commemoration and new achievements for the benefit of the whole mankind.