Astronomers around the world celebrated 2007 as International Helio-physical Year. Some remarkable events took place in the past year. Comet McNaught surprised us all by showing up in broad daylight in the beginning of the year. It was the most brilliant comet seen in 40 years. Comet Holmes made a brilliant display in October. We also enjoyed one solar and two lunar eclipses.

In 2007, the students of Balmiki and Trichandra colleges formed NepalAstronomical Society (NASO) and are organising star parties in Kathmandu with support from senior astronomers (see picture of one such event in Octoeber).
2008 is shaping up to be another great year for staring into space. Viewing kicks off quickly with one of the best showings of the red planet Mars in several years. Make sure to see Saturn this year as the ringed planet will hide its brilliant rings during 2009. The end of February will be one of the best times for viewing Saturn. Want to see the only total solar eclipse in 2008? Your best bet for a view on solid ground involves a journey to rendezvous with the moon's shadow as it crosses Canada, Greenland, Siberia and northern China on 1 August.

There will be some great meteor showers and comets to entertain us during the year. A good deal of these sights can be seen without any expensive equipment; just have a pair of decent binoculars. Astronomy is a great hobby make a new year resolution to take it up. All you need is to step outside and look up.
The United Nations has announced that 2009 will be the International Year of Astronomy (IYA). The year coincides with 400 years since Galileo Galilei first pointed his telescope towards the heavens. He then went on to discover mountains and craters on the Moon, and the four major moons of Jupiter. There'll be a concerted effort around the world to increase awareness about astronomy, and give people access to tools, techniques and knowledge. International Astronomical Union (IAU) has nominated Prof Jayanta Acharya of Balmiki Campus as the contact person for Nepal for IYA celebrations.

January 2008 Highlights:

Locate Mercury, a tiny star-like point in the south-west shortly after sunset between 19-25 January. Use Binoculars. Venus is a brilliant Morning Star, low in the south-east at dawn. Mars, in Taurus, comes up earlier in the evening. Jupiter may just start emerging into the dawn sky at the end of January. Saturn in Leo, is rising in the east at 9PM. The Quadrantid meteor-shower produces a good display in the morning hours of 3-4 January, producing about 120 shooting stars an hour. Look towards the bright star Vega and the Saptarishi (Big Dipper).

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