International Astronomical Union
Union astronomique internationale (UAI) | |
Abbreviation | IAU/UAI |
---|---|
Formation | 28 July 1919 |
Founded at | Brussels, Belgium |
Type | INGO |
Headquarters | Paris, France |
Region served | Worldwide |
Membership | 85 national members[1] 12,734 individual members[2] |
Debra Meloy Elmegreen | |
Piero Benvenuti (interim)[3] | |
Website | IAU.org |
The International Astronomical Union (IAU; French: Union astronomique internationale, UAI) is an international non-governmental organization (INGO) with the objective of advancing astronomy in all aspects, including promoting astronomical research, outreach, education, and development through global cooperation. It was founded on 28 July 1919 in Brussels, Belgium and is based in Paris, France.
The IAU is composed of individual members, who include both professional astronomers and junior scientists, and national members, such as professional associations, national societies, or academic institutions. Individual members are organised into divisions, committees, and working groups centered on particular subdisciplines, subjects, or initiatives. As of May 2024,[update] the Union had 85 national members and 12,734 individual members, spanning 90 countries and territories.[4]
Among the key activities of the IAU is serving as a forum for scientific conferences. It sponsors nine annual symposia and holds a triannual General Assembly that sets policy and includes various scientific meetings. The Union is best known for being the leading authority in assigning official names and designations to astronomical objects, and for setting uniform definitions for astronomical principles. It also coordinates with national and international partners, such as UNESCO, to fulfill its mission.
The IAU is a member of the International Science Council, which is composed of international scholarly and scientific institutions and national academies of sciences.
Function
[edit]The International Astronomical Union is an international association of professional astronomers, at the PhD level and beyond, active in professional research and education in astronomy.[5] Among other activities, it acts as the recognized authority for assigning designations and names to celestial bodies (stars, planets, asteroids, etc.) and any surface features on them.[6]
The IAU is a member of the International Science Council. Its main objective is to promote and safeguard the science of astronomy in all its aspects through international cooperation. The I
This organisation has many working groups. For example, the Working Group for Planetary System Nomenclature (WGPSN), which maintains the astronomical naming conventions and planetary nomenclature for planetary bodies, and the Working Group on Star Names (WGSN), which catalogues and standardizes proper names for stars. The IAU is also responsible for the system of astronomical telegrams which are produced and distributed on its behalf by the Central Bureau for Astronomical Telegrams. The Minor Planet Center also operates under the IAU, and is a "clearinghouse" for all non-planetary or non-moon bodies in the Solar System.[8]
History
[edit]The I
The seven initial member states were Belgium, Canada, France, Great Britain, Greece, Japan, and the United States, soon to be followed by Italy and Mexico.[9] The first executive committee consisted of Benjamin Baillaud (President, France), Alfred Fowler (General Secretary, UK), and four vice presidents: William Campbell (US), Frank Dyson (UK), Georges Lecointe (Belgium), and Annibale Riccò (Italy).[9] Thirty-two Commissions (referred to initially as Standing Committees) were appointed at the Brussels meeting and focused on topics ranging from relativity to minor planets. The reports of these 32 Commissions formed the main substance of the first General Assembly, which took place in Rome, Italy, 2–10 May 1922.
By the end of the first General Assembly, ten additional nations (Australia, Brazil, Czechoslovakia, Denmark, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Romania, South Africa, and Spain) had joined the Union, bringing the total membership to 19 countries. Although the Union was officially formed eight months after the end of World War I, international collaboration in astronomy had been strong in the pre-war era (e.g., the Astronomische Gesellschaft Katalog projects since 1868, the Astrographic Catalogue since 1887, and the International Union for Solar research since 1904).[9]
The first 50 years of the Union's history are well documented.[9][10] Subsequent history is recorded in the form of reminiscences of past I
In 2015 and 2019, the Union held the NameExoWorlds contests.[13][14]
Starting in 2024, the Union, in partnership with the United Nations, is poised to play a critical role in developing the legislation and framework for lunar industrialization.[15]
Composition
[edit]As of 1 August 2019, the I
Membership also includes 82 national members, professional astronomical communities representing their country's affiliation with the IAU. National members include the Australian Academy of Science, the Chinese Astronomical Society, the French Academy of Sciences, the Indian National Science Academy, the National Academies (United States), the National Research Foundation of South Africa, the National Scientific and Technical Research Council (Argentina), the Council of German Observatories, the Royal Astronomical Society (United Kingdom), the Royal Astronomical Society of New Zealand, the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences, the Russian Academy of Sciences, and the Science Council of Japan, among many others.[1]
The sovereign body of the IAU is its General Assembly, which comprises all members. The Assembly determines I
The right to vote on matters brought before the Assembly varies according to the type of business under discussion. The Statutes consider such business to be divided into two categories:
- issues of a "primarily scientific nature" (as determined by the Executive Committee), upon which voting is restricted to individual members, and
- all other matters (such as Statute revision and procedural questions), upon which voting is restricted to the representatives of national members.
On budget matters (which fall into the second category), votes are weighted according to the relative subscription levels of the national members. A second category vote requires a turnout of at least two-thirds of national members to be valid. An absolute majority is sufficient for approval in any vote, except for Statute revision which requires a two-thirds majority. An equality of votes is resolved by the vote of the President of the Union.
List of national members
[edit]Africa
[edit]Asia
[edit]- Armenia
- China
- Cyprus
- Georgia (suspended)
- India
- Indonesia
- Iran (suspended)
- Israel
- Japan
- Jordan
- Kazakhstan
- Lebanon (suspended)
- Malaysia
- Mongolia
- North Korea (suspended)
- Philippines
- Saudi Arabia (suspended)
- South Korea
- Syria
- Taiwan
- Tajikistan
- Thailand
- Turkey
- United Arab Emirates
- Vietnam (suspended)
Europe
[edit]- Austria
- Belgium
- Bulgaria
- Croatia
- Czechia
- Denmark
- Estonia
- Finland
- France
- Germany
- Greece
- Hungary
- Iceland
- Ireland
- Italy
- Latvia
- Lithuania
- Netherlands
- Norway
- Poland
- Portugal
- Romania
- Russia
- Serbia
- Slovakia
- Slovenia
- Spain
- Sweden
- Switzerland
- Ukraine
- United Kingdom
- Vatican City
North America
[edit]- Canada
- Costa Rica (interim)
- Honduras (interim)
- Mexico
- Panama (interim)
- United States
Oceania
[edit]South America
[edit]Terminated national members
[edit]General Assemblies
[edit]Since 1922, the I
Meeting | Year | Venue |
---|---|---|
Ist I |
1922 | Rome, Italy |
IInd I |
1925 | Cambridge, England, United Kingdom |
IIIrd I |
1928 | Leiden, Netherlands |
IVth I |
1932 | Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States |
Vth I |
1935 | Paris, France |
VIth I |
1938 | Stockholm, Sweden |
VIIth I |
1948 | Zürich, Switzerland |
VIIIth I |
1952 | Rome, Italy |
IXth I |
1955 | Dublin, Ireland |
Xth I |
1958 | Moscow, Soviet Union |
XIth I |
1961 | Berkeley, California, United States |
XIIth I |
1964 | Hamburg, West Germany |
XIIIth I |
1967 | Prague, Czechoslovakia |
XIVth I |
1970 | Brighton, England, United Kingdom |
XVth I |
1973 | Sydney, Australia |
XVIth I |
1976 | Grenoble, France |
XVIIth I |
1979 | Montreal, Quebec, Canada |
XVIIIth I |
1982 | Patras, Greece |
XIXth I |
1985 | New Delhi, India |
XXth I |
1988 | Baltimore, Mainland, United States |
XXIst I |
1991 | Buenos Aires, Argentina |
XXIInd I |
1994 | The Hague, Netherlands |
XXIIIrd I |
1997 | Kyoto, Japan |
XXIVth I |
2000 | Manchester, England, United Kingdom |
XXVth I |
2003 | Sydney, Australia |
XXVIth I |
2006 | Prague, Czech Republic |
XXVIIth I |
2009 | Rio de Janeiro, Brazil |
XXVIIIth I |
2012 | Beijing, China |
XXIXth I |
2015 | Honolulu, Hawaii, United States |
XXXth I |
2018 | Vienna, Austria |
XXXIst I |
2022[18] | Busan, South Korea |
XXXIInd I |
2024 | Cape Town, South Africa[19] |
XXXIIIrd I |
2027 | Rome, Italy[20] |
XXXIVth I |
2030 | Santiago, Chile[21] |
List of the presidents of the IAU
[edit]
|
|
|
Commission 46: Education in astronomy
[edit]Commission 46 is a Committee of the Executive Committee of the IAU, playing a special role in the discussion of astronomy development with governments and scientific academies. The IAU is affiliated with the International Council of Scientific Unions (ICSU), a non-governmental organization representing a global membership that includes both national scientific bodies and international scientific unions. They often encourage countries to become members of the IAU. The Commission further seeks to development, information or improvement of astronomical education. Part of Commission 46, is Teaching Astronomy for Development (TAD) program in countries where there is currently very little astronomical education. Another program is named the Galileo Teacher Training Program (GTTP), is a project of the International Year of Astronomy 2009, among which Hands-On Universe that will concentrate more resources on education activities for children and schools designed to advance sustainable global development. GTTP is also concerned with the effective use and transfer of astronomy education tools and resources into classroom science curricula. A strategic plan for the period 2010–2020 has been published.[25]
Publications
[edit]In 2004 the I
In 2007, the Communicating Astronomy with the Public Journal Working Group prepared a study assessing the feasibility of the Communicating Astronomy with the Public Journal (CAP Journal).[28]
See also
[edit]- List of astronomy acronyms
- Astronomical naming conventions
- List of proper names of stars
- Planetary nomenclature
References
[edit]- ^ a b "National Members".
- ^ a b "Geographical and Gender Distribution of Individual Members".
- ^ "International Astronomical Union|IAU". www.iau.org. Retrieved 24 October 2023.
- ^ "International Astronomical Union | IAU". www.iau.org. Retrieved 2 July 2021.
- ^ "About the IAU". International Astronomical Union. Retrieved 11 October 2016.
- ^ Overbye, Dennis (4 August 2014). "You Won't Meet the Beatles in Space – Plan to Liven Official Naming of Stars and Planets Hits Clunky Notes". The New York Times. Retrieved 11 October 2016.
- ^ "IAU Secretariat." International Astronomical Union. Retrieved 26 May 2011. "Address: IAU – UAI Secretariat 98-bis Blvd Arago F–75014 PARIS FRANCE" and "The I
AU Secretariat is located in the Institut d'Astrophysique de Paris, 2nd floor, offices n°270, 271 and 283." - ^ "Centres – Minor Planet Center". International Astronomical Union. Archived from the original on 8 April 2020. Retrieved 20 April 2016.
- ^ a b c d e f Blaauw, Adriaan (1994). History of the IAU : the birth and first half-century of the International Astronomical Union. Dordrecht: Kluwer Academic Publishers. ISBN 0-7923-2979-1.
- ^ a b Adams, Walter S. (February 1949). "The History of the International Astronomical Union". Publications of the Astronomical Society of the Pacific. 61 (358): 5. Bibcode:1949PASP...61....5A. doi:10.1086/126108.
- ^ "I
AU Information Bulletin No. 100, July 2007" (PDF). - ^ "I
AU Information Bulletin No. 104, June 2009" (PDF). - ^ Overbye, Dennis (2 December 2016). "Twinkle, Twinkle Little [Insert Name Here]". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 6 June 2022.
- ^ "IAU100 Name ExoWorlds". IAU100:Under One Sky. Retrieved 6 June 2022.
- ^ McKie, Robin (6 January 2024). "Moon's resources could be 'destroyed by thoughtless exploitation', NASA warned". The Observer.
- ^ Gingerich, Owen (1999). "The Copernican Quinquecentennial and Its Predecessors: Historical Insights and National Agendas". Osiris. 14: 50–51. Bibcode:1999Osir...14...37G. doi:10.1086/649299. JSTOR 301960. S2CID 144982060.
- ^ "Extraordinary General Assembly".
- ^ "International Astronomical Union | IAU".
- ^ "Homepage - IAU General Assembly 2024 - Cape Town". 31 August 2023. Retrieved 24 October 2023.
- ^ "iau2410 — Press Release". 31 August 2023. Retrieved 16 August 2024.
- ^ "iau2410 — Press Release". 16 August 2024. Retrieved 16 August 2024.
- ^ "Past Executive Committee". International Astronomical Union. Retrieved 18 September 2018.
- ^ Колчинский И. Г., Корсунь А. А., Родригес М. Г. (1977). Астрономы. Биографический справочник (in Russian). Киев: Наукова Думка.
{{cite book}}
: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link) CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) - ^ "International Astronomical Union". www.iau.org. Retrieved 14 January 2022.
- ^ "Astronomy for the Developing World, Building from the IYA 2009, Strategic Plan 2010–20".
- ^ "CAPjournal Rosetta Special Out Now". Retrieved 28 March 2016.
- ^ "Proceedings of the International Astronomical Union". Cambridge Journals Online. Cambridge University Press. Retrieved 1 September 2015.
- ^ Russo, P.; Christensen, L. L.; Iau Commission 55 Capjournal Working Group (1 June 2008). "The Communicating Astronomy with the Public journal: A study from the I
AU Division XII Commission 55 CAPjournal Working Group". Communicating Astronomy with the Public: 190. Bibcode:2008ca07.conf..190R.{{cite journal}}
: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
- Statutes of the IAU, VII General Assembly (1948), pp. 13–15
External links
[edit]- Astronomy organizations
- International organizations based in France
- International professional associations
- Members of the International Council for Science
- Organizations based in Paris
- Scientific organizations based in France
- Scientific organizations established in 1919
- 1919 establishments in France
- Standards organizations in France
- International scientific organizations
- International scientific organizations based in Europe
- Members of the International Science Council