White House star-gazing party puts the focus on astronomy

And if the moon, Jupiter, stars, and the entire universe were not enough, the party also was to include the president, his family, two pioneering astronauts, and science teachers dressed up as Isaac Newton and Galileo.

The White House star party - which may be a first for the president’s home, according to US Naval Observatory spokesman Geoff Chester - is part of a worldwide emphasis on astronomy. This year marks the 400th anniversary of Galileo’s first observations of Jupiter and its moons with a telescope, and has been designated the International Year of Astronomy. People around the world are being encouraged to look at Jupiter and the moon this month. And NASA is purposely crashing a probe into the moon, shown live on the Internet tomorrow morning.

Obama’s first Asian trip will skip stop in Indonesia

WASHINGTON - President Obama’s first Asian trip as president will include Japan, Singapore, China, and South Korea, but not Indonesia, where he spent four years of his life.

Obama and his mother moved from Hawaii to Jakarta, Indonesia, when he was 6. They left to return to the United States when he was 10.

In announcing Obama’s Asian itinerary yesterday, White House press secretary Robert Gibbs said Obama and Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono talked about a presidential visit to the world’s most populous Muslim nation during a brief meeting at last month’s Group of 20 industrial and developing nations in Pittsburgh.

“They agreed on the importance of having a visit that would showcase the importance of growing US-Indonesian bilateral relations,’’ Gibbs said.

In a speech in last November, Yudhoyono advocated a “21st-century strategic partnership’’ between the two countries.

During Obama’s coming trip, the two presidents probably will meet in Singapore, Obama’s second stop.

Gibbs said the presidential tour was “to strengthen our cooperation with this vital part of the world on a range of issues of mutual interest.’’

Gibbs said Obama’s first stop will be in Japan Nov. 12-13, where he will have two meetings with new Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama. Gibbs said the visit with “this key ally’’ would cover economic, security, and other issues.