Japanese IYA2009 song is a smash hit

24 August 2009

 

IYA2009 is enjoying great success in Japan, in part due to popularisation campaigns such as astronomy book fairs, official movies, and even cakes. The idea was raised to supplement these with an IYA2009 song, and this has now come to fruition.

A famous singer, MISIA, made a song called Ginga (Galaxy), and asked if it could be used as a theme-song. The decision was made to accept, and so moves were made to create a video accompaniment. The National Astronomical Observatory of Japan (NAOJ) provided some computer simulation footage, while the Japanese IYA2009 Committee produced a replica of Galileo's telescope.

Ginga was released on 10 June and became a hit, recording an impressive 22nd in the Oricon ranking. During MISIA concerts, the song is played along with an introduction to IYA2009.

Ginga and the video are available to watch online: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qHkGZAOc9Ow

 

Organisational Associates:
ESO AAS INSU CAS STRW NOVA STFC SCNAT SPA NRC MEC CNES DLR ESA JAXA NAOJ APL PS ESF ISRO ICRAN NLSI NOT U Cluster NASAEAS ASI NRAO CEA  KASI EAE SPA AUI CROSCI


The International Year of Astronomy 2009 is endorsed by the United Nations and the International Council of Science.