Texas 2009 - 81st Regular

Texas House Bill HCR21 Compare Versions

Only one version of the bill is available at this time.

Old	New	Differences
1	1	81R4474 JGH-D
2	2	By: Rose H.C.R. No. 21
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5	5	CONCURRENT RESOLUTION
6	6	WHEREAS, The 400th birthday of modern astronomy is being
7	7	marked in 2009 as the International Year of Astronomy, and this
8	8	worldwide celebration represents a fine opportunity to pay tribute
9	9	to the Lone Star State's leadership in astronomical research; and
10	10	WHEREAS, In 1609, the Italian astronomer Galileo Galilei
11	11	first used a telescope to study the skies, and that same year, the
12	12	German astronomer Johannes Kepler published his famous laws of
13	13	planetary motion in the book Astronomia Nova; sponsored by the
14	14	International Astronomical Union and UNESCO, the International
15	15	Year of Astronomy 2009 commemorates these revolutionary
16	16	developments with activities and events around the globe; and
17	17	WHEREAS, Located in the Davis Mountains of West Texas, the
18	18	McDonald Observatory of The University of Texas at Austin is one of
19	19	the world's leading centers for astronomical research and
20	20	education; its research instruments include the Hobby-Eberly
21	21	Telescope, one of the world's largest optical telescopes, with a
22	22	433-inch mirror; and
23	23	WHEREAS, The Observatory Visitors Center delights and
24	24	informs 100,000 people a year with its exhibits, tours, and star
25	25	parties; the observatory also produces the nationally syndicated
26	26	StarDate and Universo radio programs and websites, bringing the
27	27	latest in scientific research to audiences in English and Spanish;
28	28	and
29	29	WHEREAS, During the IYA 2009, McDonald Observatory and the
30	30	physics department of Texas A&M University are beginning a
31	31	collaboration with several other institutions on a groundbreaking
32	32	study of dark energy, which has been called "the central problem for
33	33	physics" by Nobel laureate and U.T. professor Steven Weinberg;
34	34	representing 70 percent of the total energy in the universe, dark
35	35	energy is the mysterious force causing the expansion of the cosmos
36	36	to accelerate; and
37	37	WHEREAS, The Hobby-Eberly Telescope Dark Energy Experiment,
38	38	or HETDEX, will use the Hobby-Eberly Telescope and the new VIRUS
39	39	spectrograph, developed and constructed by U.T. and Texas A&M, to
40	40	map the three-dimensional positions of one million galaxies over
41	41	three years, providing scientists with important clues to the
42	42	nature of dark energy; and
43	43	WHEREAS, The study of dark energy represents a revolution in
44	44	the science of astronomy, and it is most fitting that in this
45	45	anniversary year of historic scientific achievement, two of the
46	46	premier research institutions in Texas are working together in the
47	47	pioneering spirit of Kepler and Galileo to see further into the
48	48	heart of the universe than anyone has before; now, therefore, be it
49	49	RESOLVED, That the 81st Legislature of the State of Texas
50	50	hereby commemorate the International Year of Astronomy 2009 and
51	51	celebrate the great contributions of The University of Texas at
52	52	Austin McDonald Observatory and Texas A&M University in the
53	53	continuing quest, from time immemorial, to bring the heavens within
54	54	the compass of human understanding; and, be it further
55	55	RESOLVED, That official copies of this resolution be prepared
56	56	for The University of Texas at Austin McDonald Observatory and the
57	57	Texas A&M University Department of Physics as an expression of high
58	58	regard by the Texas House of Representatives and Senate.