New Web Portal Identifies Astronomical Heritage Sites UNESCO
(the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural
Organization) and the International Astronomical Union (IAU)
launched the new UNESCO-IAU online Portal to the Heritage of
Astronomy during the IAU’s 28th General Assembly in Beijing,
China. The website, which resides at
www.astronomicalheritage.net, is a dynamic, publicly accessible
database, discussion forum and document repository on
astronomical heritage sites throughout the world, even if they
are not on UNESCO’s World Heritage List. Buildings and monuments
relating to astronomy throughout the ages stand as a tribute to
the diverse and often complex ways in which people have
rationalized the cosmos and framed their actions in accordance
with their understanding of it. This includes, but is by no
means restricted to, the development of modern science. The
importance of the sky in human heritage was recognized by UNESCO
when it established its Astronomy and World Heritage Initiative
in 2003,