Commemorating the 400th anniversary of Galileo Galilei's observation of the night sky through a telescope, the UN declared the year 2009 as the "International Year of Astronomy." IAU (International Astronomical Union) and UNESCO are planning to conduct a campaign in 2009 under the theme of "The Universe, Yours to Discover" in order to celebrate the amazing accomplishments that astronomy has achieved to date and to provide an opportunity to learn about and experience the fascination of astronomy. In about 140 countries around the world, a wide variety of activities will unfold in order to enable the citizens of the global village to experience and the beauty of the dark sky and to preserve the natural heritage of the dark night skies.

In commemoration of the "International Year of Astronomy 2009," a new stamp featuring the mysterious look of the universe is issued. Introduced are: the Planetary Nebula NGC 3132 which looks like a planet but is actually composed of clouds of gases and dust created by the explosion of a star's unstable outer layer; and the Whirlpool Galaxy M51 composed of hundreds of billions of stars and interstellar matter. How about taking a telescope and looking out the window into the night sky tonight?