Galilean Nights: Galilean Nights will see amateur and professional astronomers around the globe taking to the streets and pointing their telescopes to the wonders that Galileo observed 400 years ago.

International Year of Astronomy 2009 raises millions of eyes to the skies : As the International Year of Astronomy 2009 (IYA2009) reaches its six-month milestone, over a million people have already looked at the sky through a telescope for the first time, and even more have newly engaged in astronomy.

Call for proposals for free Galileoscopes: The IYA2009 invites countries, organisations and individuals to submit calls for proposals for free Galieoscopes. This call is solely intended to countries organisations or individuals who were not able to afford their own Galileoscopes.

The Cosmic Diary is six months old today!: Thanks to the dedication of the Cosmic Diary bloggers, the site now has over 1000 posts and almost 100 000 visitors.

The latest IYA2009 Brochure is now out! : TheIYA2009 Brochure version 4 is now out! Latest information about IYA2009 Cornerstone Projects, Special projects, Task Groups and the Global project.

Worldwide broadcast for July’s solar eclipse: To allow astronomers and the public all around the world to witness this spectacle eclipse, the Chinese Astronomical Society, supported by the Chinese Academy of Sciences, will be hosting a live broadcast of the 2009 eclipse.

IYA2009 Twitter feed reaches over 3000 followers: The official IYA2009 Twitter feed, @astronomy2009, now has over 3000 followers. This is a great success for the venture, and the number is set to increase even more.

HISTORY launches new website celebrating The Universe: HISTORY, the proud, exclusive television partner of IYA2009, has launched a fantastic website where people can explore the universe through virtual interactive-maps, a challenging online game, videos, and images. Now airing on channels all over the world. Check out your region's site today!

CERN Courier: IYA2009 Special Issue : Particle and nuclear physics may deal with the smallest components of matter, but both have strong links with astronomy – the news story above is just one example. This issue of CERN Courier celebrates IYA2009 with this and several longer articles.

Belfast looks to the sky for inspiration: The International Year of Astronomy 2009 is a global celebration of astronomy and this month in Belfast, Northern Ireland, the Belfast City Council is recognising the contribution of space to society through a myriad of social events, including a Carnival Parade

Communicating Astronomy with the Public Journal #6 is out! : In this issue, educational and public outreach sessions take the limeligh