World Scene: France

Time for 'Galilean Nights'

Astronomers around the world are gearing up for three days of intense sky-watching in honor of Galileo, whose observations 400 years ago revolutionized our understanding of the cosmos. The 'Galilean Nights' promoted by the International Astronomical Union (IAU) aim at giving hundreds of thousands of people the thrill of looking through a space telescope for the first time. More than 1,000 public events in over 70 countries will be staged until tomorrow night, according to the website www.galileannights.org.