The 6th International Conference on "The Inspiration of Astronomical Phenomena"

The sixth international conference on "The Inspiration of Astronomical Phenomena," celebrating the 400th anniversary of Galileo's first astronomical uses of the telescope, will be held at the Palazzo Franchetti in Venice (Italy). The Conference will explore humanity's fascination with the sky, which has been a strong and often dominant element in human life and culture. It provides a meeting place for scholars from a variety of disciplines and artists to present and discuss their studies on the cultural impact and inspirations of astronomical phenomena. The list of topics discussed in the previous INSAP conferences is available at the INSAP web site. The first day of the Venice Conference will be devoted to Galilean contributions. The Conference will be held on October 18-23, 2009 at Palazzo Franchetti in Venice, Italy. The Conference venue is one of the premises of the Istituto Veneto di Scienze, Lettere ed Arti. It faces onto the Grand Canal and it is surrounded by a garden. The attendance will necessarily be limited to 170 participants. We suggest that interested individuals register as soon as possibile. The previous INSAP conferences took place in 1994 in a retreat at Rocca di Papa in Italy, near the Vatican Observatory, in 1999 at the International Office of the University of Malta, in 2001 at the Palermo Observatory in Italy, in 2003 at the Oxford University, and in 2005 at the Adler Planetarium and Astronomy Museum in Chicago. Details about these conferences are available at at the INSAP web site. International Executive Committee: Francesco Bertola (IVSLA, Venice, Italy) Marvin Bolt (Adler Planetarium and Astronomy Museum, Chicago, USA) Nicholas Campion (University of Wales, Lampeter, UK) George V. Coyne, S.J. (Vatican Observatory, Vatican City State) Chris Impey (University of Arizona, Tucson, USA) Ronald P. Olowin (St. Mary's College, Moraga, USA) David W. Pankenier (Lehigh University, Bethlehem, USA) Richard L. Poss (University of Arizona, Tucson, USA) Valerie Shrimplin (Independent Art Historian, London, UK) Rolf M. Sinclair, Chair (Centro de Estudios Cientificos, Valdivia, Chile ) Gary N. Wells (Ithaca College, Ithaca, USA)

For further information check the conference homepage at http://www.astro.unipd.it/insap6/