2009 Going Into 2010

As the year ends, I wanted to go over some of the most important posts on the blog in 2009, and some previews about what I'm going to cover in 2010.

You may have noticed the text at the bottom of all the posts on the blog this year. What made 2009 very special was that it was the International Year of Astronomy, and we celebrated 400 years after Galileo's first observations (and also the first astronomical outreach event) and Kepler's publishing of Astronomia Nova. Many special events were held throughout the year, like 100 Hours of Astronomy.

2009 also saw another anniversary, that of the first Moon landings. I especially liked the We Choose the Moon website built by the J.F.K. Presidential Library and Museum.

The longest 21st century solar eclipse took place in 2009 as well.

The number of exoplanets discovered also increased in 2009, notably with a very large planet, and recently, an Earth-like planet.

Probably the biggest news in 2009 was the discovery of water on the Moon by the Indian Chandrayaan-1 spacecraft, and confirmation by other missions as well, including the LCROSS mission. However the impact from the LCROSS mission was certainly less than spectacular. Sadly, 2009 also saw the premature loss of contact with the Chandrayaan-1 spacecraft.

Meanwhile, NASA made progress on their manned lunar missions by the successful test of the Ares I-X Rocket.

2009 was also the first year I started using a Twitter account for the blog. I have shared the latest updates about the blog, other news, and observing experiences on it. It is available here.

What's in store for 2010?

While I can't predict the biggest news for 2010, I do have some certain things planned for the blog. I'm going to be finishing my Senior Project for my high school. The project is based on asteroid research, primarily orbit determination. At the end of the project, I am hoping to post description and details about my project on the blog.

Finishing my Senior Project at high school also implies that I will be finishing my senior year at high school, and will be going to college. I am definitely excited to see how that will affect what I will be doing in astronomy.

And for the last time,
Astronomy and Space Celebrates International Year of Astronomy 2009.