The Cosmic Diary is not just about astronomy. It’s more about what it is like to be an astronomer, a scientist. The Cosmic Dairy aims to put a human face on astronomy. Professional astronomers will blog in text and images about their life, families, friends, hobbies, and interests, as well as their work – their latest research findings and the challenges that face them in their research. The bloggers represent a vibrant cross-section of female and male working astronomers from around the world. They will write in many different languages and come from five different continents. Outside the observatories, labs and offices, they are musicians, mothers, photographers, athletes, amateur astronomers. At work, they are managers, observers, graduate students, grant proposers, instrument builders and data analysts.

At some point during this project, all the bloggers will be asked to explain one particular aspect of their work to the public. In a true exercise of science communication with the public, these scientists will be asked to translate into a more popular language the nuts and bolts of their scientific research. This will be their challenge.

These “explanations” will be highlighted on the web at regular intervals. They will then be used to produce the Cosmic Diary Book and the Cosmic Diary Documentary, both to be released during the IYA2009. The book and documentary will be the legacy of this project.

Read Sotira Trifourki's Cosmic Diary