International Year of Astronomy Public Telescope

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AST-0855363PI: David DeVorkinInstitution: Smithsonian Institution This award provides funding to install and operate for one year a professional-grade astronomical observatory on a terrace of the National Air and Space Museum, located on the National Mall. The observatory will provide a focal point for activities associated with the 2009 International Year of Astronomy (IYA). Programming will include viewing of the sun, moon, and brighter planets during the day and in evening hours. IYA-related exhibits and activity-based and inquiry-based public programming will include the appreciation of the sky, recapturing and preserving the dark night sky, telescopic optics and spectroscopy, and the national observatory system. The activity by its nature is designed to have significant broader impact; it will reach millions of visitors annually to the Nation?s Mall and the National Air and Space Museum.