The CFHT & Coelum 2002 Astronomy Large Format Posters

This year, CFHT associated its efforts again with Coelum to deliver a stunning astronomical calendar. The year 2002 theme is the structures of the Universe. The calendar not only proposes 12 gorgeous true colors images obtained with the CFH12K wide-field imaging camera, it also contains a description of each image, how they compare to each other (nature of the nebula, distance, etc...) and what they represent in the evolution process of our Universe. This calendar will not only decorate walls with living colors, it will also introduce the lay person to the structure and evolution of the Universe.

The calendar contains in particular two pages focusing on the structures found in our Universe. Two other pages propose legends for each of the 12 main images of the calendar. Two other pages present the Canada-France-Hawaii Telescope and the Mauna Kea observing site. Other key instruments of CFHT apart of CFH12K are presented: the adaptive optics system and the multi-object spectrograph.

The twelve objects of the 2002 calendar are: Messier 35, Messier 11, The Cat's Paw Nebula (NGC 6334), The Horsehead Nebula, the supernova remnant IC 443, The Virgo cluster of galaxies, the Bubble nebula (NGC 7635), The Dumbbell nebula, the Sculptor galaxy NGC 253, the star forming region NGC 281, the Pinwheel galaxy Messier 101 and the star forming region Messier 16.

Jim Thomas from CFHT kindly compiled the Hawaiian page of the calendar. This year's theme is the "Polynesian Wayfinding", a term to qualify an ancient navigation technique to cross the Pacific ocean using stars as references.

Collaboration with the Italian astronomy magazine Coelum has made the publication of this gallery possible. The production of this calendar has been entrusted to the Coelum team because of their experience in astronomical image treatment, their skills of presentation and their enthusiasm for Astronomy. The CFHT-Coelum collaboration started in early 1999 with the publication of articles introducing the latest CFHT results to the public. Scientific director Renato Falomo (from Padova Observatory), Coelum editorialist Roberta Zabotti and Coelum co-director Giovani Dal Lago forged the look of this calendar.