This issue marks Physics World's main contribution to the International Year of AstronomyAstronomy can lay rightful claim to being the oldest science, with its foundationsdating back even further than those of mathematics. From the ancient Babylonianswho observed the regular motions of Venus to medieval Islamic scholars who hadthe first inklings of heliocentrism, the study of the skies has fascinated humankind.But 2009 – the International Year of Astronomy – commemorates an event centralto the development of Western science: Galileo Galilei's first observations with atelescope in 1609. This year also marks the 400th anniversary of Johannes Kepler'sAstronomia Nova, in which he outlined his laws of planetary motion.
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