Opening Ceremony of the International Year of Astronomy

Ljubljana, 27.1.2009  |  press release

In his address at the opening ceremony of the International Year of Astronomy in Slovenia, the President of the Republic of Slovenia, Dr Danilo Türk, noted that scientific optimism is essential for our future and that astronomy is truly an important science, symbolic of the eternal human curiosity about new discoveries.

According to President Türk, in the 1950’s and 1960’s people believed that the future of the world would depend on close ties between science, the economy and politics. “Optimism in those days did not stem solely from new technologies and the great expectations for nuclear energy,” said Dr Türk, “but also from discoveries made in the universe, an enthusiasm for the opportunities offered to humankind by discoveries in space, and a widespread culture encouraging all of us to participate in every possible way.” The spirit of that era made way for ideologies and profitable illusions which later collapsed, leaving little but ruins. “There is no way forward without close connections between our knowledge and science, without our ability to create a strong and fair economy, and without linking all this to an enhanced policy of a better quality, a policy which is oriented towards the future.”

Astronomy is an important science symbolising the infinity of existence which we will never be able to know in full detail, but which will always remain a source of discoveries, President Türk observed. He concluded by expressing the hope that the International Year of Astronomy, under his patronage, would bring astronomy closer to people and enable our society to gain a better understanding of astronomy.