Welcome to the IYL 2015 Blog

Light plays a central role in human activities. On the most fundamental level through photosynthesis, light is necessary to the existence of life itself, and the many applications of light have revolutionized society through medicine, communications, entertainment and culture. Industries based on light are major economic drivers, and light-based technologies directly respond to the needs of humankind by providing access to information, promoting sustainable development, and increasing societal health and well-being.

Innovation without Bounds

Exactly one hundred years after Albert Einstein first predicted the existence of gravitational waves, the multinational research and collaboration of more than 1,000 scientists culminated this year in the stunning observation of the phenomenon. Such an inspiring breakthrough did not happen overnight; rather, it was reached through a century of observations, questions, ideas and trials, generated by the thousands of people who dedicated their professional lives to advancing the science along the way.

On September 14, 2015, the twin Laser Interferometer Gravitational-wave Observatory (LIGO) detectors, located in Livingston, Louisiana, and Hanford, Washington, USA both measures ripples in the fabric of spacetime – gravitational waves – arriving at the Earth from a cataclysmic event in the distant universe. Credit: https://www.ligo.caltech.edu/.

Planet 50-50 by 2030: Step it up for gender equality … also in science!

Women will get to equality in the end. The only question is, why should we wait?
Executive Director of UN Women Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka, 2015

After the Fourth World Conference on Women (Beijing, 1995),189 countries unanimously adopted the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action that established a series of strategic goals to achieve gender equality, which were summarized in twelve critical areas – including Education and training of women.

Despite changes and improvements in women’s rights, twenty years later, no country has succesfully completed the programme. The following Infographic: Gender equality – Where are we today? shows the situation of inequality that women suffer in the XXI century. On this sense, the Beijing +20 campaign wants to boost the creation of new networks, streghtening political will and mobilize the population to achieve the Planet 50-50 goal by 2030.

Every Picture tells a Story II

GalileoMobile visiting a school of the Colombian part of Constellation. The project Constellation is a specially endorsed project by the International Astronomical during Cosmic Light IYL 2015 and involves twenty schools in six countries (Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador and Peru), directly reaching at least 100 teachers and 6,000 pupils. Credit: GalileoMobile.

“Realm of Photon 2015”, a IYL 2015 Cosmic Light EDU workshop in Kathmandu, Nepal, organized by National Academy of Geo & Space Science (NAGSS). Credit: NAGSS.

The Ufficio Filatelico and Numismatico of San Marino dedicates the divisional coin set 2015 with a 5€ silver uncirculated coin to the theme of the International Year of Light. Credit: Matthew Dent.

Detail from the illumination at Durdle Door on the Jurassic Coast, Dorset – part of the Night of Heritage Light. Members of the Society of Light and Lighting created bespoke illuminations for several of the most iconic UNESCO World Heritage sites around the UK. Credit: The Society of Light and Lighting.

Physics in the King’s Garden, Stockholm, Sweden, exhibition and hands on experiments on 5 September 2015.

IYL 2015 commemorative stamps from Antigua and Barbuda.

IYL 2015 Opening Ceremony in The Netherlands, 15 January 2015, Science Center NEMO Amsterdam. Human being walking on stilts, wearing a lightshow suit. Credit: Digidaan.

Every Picture tells a Story I

These days we are working on collecting information about IYL 2015 activities around the world. The IYL National Nodes have been very helpful sending us images of selected activities. We’ll be sharing all these pictures on the IYL website very soon but, during the following days, we would like to share on the blog a first glimpse of these pictures from IYL 2015 activities around the world.

International Year of Light 2015 Cosmic Light mascot created by the Japanese Amateur Astronomers Association.

Meditating on Invisibility: When Light Meets Glass

It is easy for us to imagine an instance in which the invisible meets the visible. Imagine a beam of light, which is normally invisible, striking a reflective surface and bouncing into our eyes. The light that was invisible is now visible. From our perspective as observers, it has been transformed.

Now please imagine an instance in which the invisible meets the invisible. Imagine light striking glass. If the glass is perfectly transparent, it is virtually invisible. When a beam of light strikes it, we will have no way of knowing.

Credit: Meeli Koiva.