The second issue of the IAU Catalyst is now available online.

Launched in June this year, the IAU Catalyst is a tool for direct communication by the various IAU structures with members and with other international scientific organisations and institutions. Each issue includes organisational news from within the IAU, reports on scientific meetings, news from ongoing astronomical projects and more.

In this volume, you can read about the activities of IAU Division E Sun and Heliosphere from Sarah Gibson, President of Division E, and about the Working Group on Astronomy for Equity and Inclusion from Amelia Ortiz-Gil and Lina Canas, Co-chairs of this working group. Maria Teresa Lago, IAU General Secretary, summarises the work done to establish the new Office of Astronomy for Education (OAE) this year, while Kazunari Shibata, President of the Astronomical Society of Japan (ASJ) 2017–2019, discusses the statement made by the ASJ on astronomy and national security. The issue includes several other short papers on different topics of interest.

As 2019 draws to a close, this issue reflects on the IAU’s centenary celebrations, IAU100, which were held around the world with the theme ‘Under One Sky’, as described by Jorge Rivero González, IAU100 Coordinator. The bulletin also contains a summary of the events and meetings to look out for in the first semester of 2020.

The Catalyst is issued twice a year, as an electronic-only bulletin. In addition to being a convenient way of keeping up to date with astronomical news, it is also a platform for members to share news of their own. We hope you enjoy reading it, and encourage you to get involved by submitting news items for future issues.

More information

The IAU is the international astronomical organisation that brings together more than 13 500 professional astronomers from more than 100 countries worldwide. Its mission is to promote and safeguard astronomy in all its aspects, including research, communication, education and development, through international cooperation. The IAU also serves as the internationally recognised authority for assigning designations to celestial bodies and the surface features on them. Founded in 1919, the IAU is the world's largest professional body for astronomers.

Contacts

Maria Teresa Lago
General Secretary
Paris, France
Tel: +33 1 43 25 83 58
Email: IAU_GS_2018@iap.fr 

Madeleine Smith-Spanier
IAU Database Manager
Paris, France
Tel: +33 1 43 25 83 58
Email: smith@iap.fr

Lars Lindberg Christensen
IAU Press Officer
Garching bei München, Germany
Tel: +49 89 320 06 761
Cell: +49 173 38 72 621
Email: lars@eso.org