‘Around the World in 80 Telescopes’ – webcast archive online
16 April 2009
On 3 April 2009 astronomers from ESA's INTEGRAL and XMM-Newton observatories took part in a marathon 24-hour live webcast, 'Around the World in 80 Telescopes'. The webcast took viewers on a worldwide odyssey visiting telescopes on every continent - and in space, including ESA's European Space Astronomy Centre (ESAC) near Madrid in Spain. This was part of the 100 Hours of Astronomy cornerstone project of the International Year of Astronomy (IYA). The recorded webcast is now available to view at your leisure.
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‘Be an INTEGRAL astronomer’ competition
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During the webcast Erik announced the launch of a special ESA competition for students in secondary school and University undergraduates to mark the International Year of Astronomy. Students will use data taken by the INTEGRAL space observatory to investigate objects in one of the most active regions of our Galaxy and be in with a chance to win a number of fantastic prizes, including a trip to the European Space Astronomy Centre, the scientific heart of ESA. The competition is open until 14 August 2009.
For further details see the ‘Be an INTEGRAL astronomer’ competition pages.
Exclusive XMM-Newton image
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Around the world
Viewers also heard from astronomers working with the ESA/NASA Solar and Heliospheric Observatory (SOHO) and the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope, as well as those working on the highest telescope on Earth (the Indian Astronomical Observatory in the Himalayas), one of the coldest and most remote (the South Pole Telescope and IceCube Neutrino Telescope at the South Pole in Antarctica), and the driest region on the planet (the Paranal Observatory in the Atacama Desert in Chile).
The webcast truly captures the variety of observatories around the world and provides a unique insight into the working lives of astronomers. You can experience this for yourself by viewing the recorded webcast sessions at your leisure.