CNN iReport

Being able to see glorious pictures of space is something we take for granted. Nowadays, Star Treks are hardly science fiction. iReporters have been posting stories to share their excitement about the 400th anniversary of Galileo Galilei's use of the first astronomical telescope. This event is recognized and celebrated through the designation of 2009 as the International Year of Astronomy. Kudos go to NightSkyGuy for being the first one to post about it, and additional props go out to MarieSager (who lives near Griffith Park Observatory) for reaching out to other iReporters and asking them to share photos of observatories and other space-related subjects. We've seen a number of pictures popping up of observatories such as Urania Observatory in Vienna, Austria, and Lowell Observatory in Flagstaff, Arizona, where Pluto was discovered. We even got a photo of an International Year of Astronomy banner at the National Radio Astronomy Observatory (thanks joanniebalon) and pretty pictures of Hayden Planetarium in New York from sjunat55, not to mention several comets and other astronomical phenomena. Are you pumped about stargazing? This would be the right year to dive into it. Share your photos and videos of space on iReport.com and kick off the new year in style.