Dear IAU members,
The year of the XXXth General Assembly (Vienna, 20–31 August 2018) began with a wealth of interesting news for our community.
On 22–24 January, the IAU Officers met in Paris to discuss matters related to the GA: possibly the most relevant outcome was the approval of the draft text of the new IAU Strategic Plan 2020–2030, which has been recently distributed to the National Committees for Astronomy for comments. After this iteration, the document will be finalised during the next Executive Committee (Vienna, 20–23 April 2018) and then posted on the IAU pages, awaiting a final discussion and hopefully approval at the GA in August.
The Officers also approved the draft budget projection for the triennium 2019–2021, which is now being evaluated by the Finance Committee. It turned out that, due to a number of favourable conditions and rationalisation actions, the current IAU financial asset will be able to support the travel grants to the GA and the 100 years celebration activities in 2018–19 well beyond the previously allocated resources.
Ten countries have submitted a proposal to join (or re-join) the IAU as a National Member and the Membership Committee is now evaluating more than 900 Individual and 300 Junior Members candidates from all the current and prospective National Members. The gender balance of the new cohort of Members will be published after their admission, but we can anticipate that at least for one National Member, the female candidates outnumber their male colleagues!
The triennial reports of the Scientific bodies (Divisions, Commissions and Working Groups) are being collected and the campaign for the renewal and election of new members of the Steering and Organising Committees has just started. As a general rule, about half of the Committees members will be renewed, so that a renewal is achieved without losing the necessary continuity.
Today, 28 February, is the deadline for the submission of the abstracts of invited and contributed papers to the rich scientific programme of the GA: the various Scientific Organising Committees will immediately start their evaluation in such a way that the global programme could be reviewed jointly by the Executive Committee and the Division Presidents during the next meeting at the end of April. The goal is a comprehensive and coherent programme that minimises duplications and overlaps: it will be posted on the GA web site soon after the April EC Meeting.
Coming to notable events, the most recent one concerns the signing of the agreement for the constitution of the IAU European Regional Office of Astronomy for Development, the 10th ROAD, that will operate in Leiden under the joint responsibility of the Leiden University and of the European Astronomical Society. The signing took place in coincidence with the attribution, by the Leiden University, of the honorary doctorate to Her Excellency Grace Naledi Mandisa Pandor who has been South Africa's Minister of Science and Technology and is now Minister of Higher Education. She has been, and continues to be, an inspirational and charismatic ambassador of science as a tool for development, particularly in the field of astronomy. After the Portuguese ‘Language Expertise Centre for the Office of Astronomy for Development’, the Leiden ROAD is the first one that will operate in a continent in which astronomy and the collaboration among universities and research institutes is solidly established: indeed, the partner of the Leiden University is the European Astronomical Society which has a long and respected record of fostering European and international collaborations in astronomical research, education and outreach. The main challenge for the new ROAD will therefore be the identification of ways in which astronomy can improve some aspects of the European society.
This year, two International Young Astronomers Schools (ISYA) will be held: in Cairo (Egypt) from 26 March to 12 April (more information), and in Socorro (Colombia), from 8–28 July (more information). The first one has already selected its 40 students (half of whom are from neighbouring countries), while the latter has opened the call for candidate participants. At the Vienna GA, the current ISYA Deputy Director, Prof. Itziar Aretzaga, will become Director and the Call for her replacement has just been issued. The new Strategic Plan proposes to increase the number of ISYAs to two per year, therefore it is important that energetic and committed colleagues submit their application in support of our flagship educational activity.
This issue of the Newsletter contains also an important scientific update on the coordinate system for Solar System bodies. It is the outcome of a careful three-year long study by the Working Group for Cartographic Coordinates and Rotational Elements (WGCCRE), that has the responsibility of defining the rotational elements of the planets, satellites, asteroids, and comets of the Solar System.
The organisation of the IAU 100 years celebrations proceeds swiftly. The date and venue of the opening ceremony have been decided: it will take place at the Belgian Royal Academies in Brussels on 11–12 April 2019. The UN General Secretary, António Guterres has recently accepted our invitation to participate and it is anticipated that several other scientific and political VIPs will join. A number of flagship projects to be deployed in the National Member Countries are being discussed and they will presented during a special session of the CAP Conference in Fukuoka.
Among the initiatives for the celebration of the IAU Anniversary, there is a collaboration with the Vth edition of STARMUS, the successful Festival that combines science, art and music in an engaging series of events. The 2019 edition will take place in Bern, Switzerland on 24–29 June, and it has as a central theme the 50th anniversary of the first Moon landing. IAU is happy to be a partner of STARMUS and to have the opportunity to highlight its 100 years of activity under a somehow different, intriguing and festive perspective.
Piero Benvenuti
IAU General Secretary
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27 February 2018: The European Regional Office of Astronomy for Development was officially established on 26 February 2018 at a signing ceremony in Leiden, the Netherlands. The event was attended by the South ...
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27 February 2018: The International Astronomical Union’s (IAU) Working Group for Cartographic Coordinates and Rotational Elements (WGCCRE) has the responsibility of defining the rotational elements of the planets, satellites, asteroids, and comets ...
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20 February 2018: The Office for Young Astronomers (OYA) of the International Astronomical Union (IAU) invites suitable candidates to apply for the vacant post of Deputy Director of the International School for Young ...
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20 February 2018: The Astronomy Outreach Newsletter 2018 #4 is now online. It is produced by the IAU Office for Astronomy Outreach and brings to the general public the latest information about events ...
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9 February 2018: Since the very first people looked up at a star-filled sky we have been awestruck by the vastness of the cosmos. Even today we remain humbled by the immensity of ...
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9 February 2018: The 23rd issue of the Communicating Astronomy with the Public journal is out now!
In this issue of the CAPjournal published by the IAU Office for Astronomy Outreach and the ...
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8 February 2018: The Astronomy Outreach Newsletter 2018 #3 is now online. It is produced by the IAU Office for Astronomy Outreach and brings to the general public the latest information about events ...
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25 January 2018: The IAU OAD Newsletter #19 is now online. It is issued quarterly by the IAU Office of Astronomy for Development and some highlights of this issue are:
Results of OAD ...
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24 January 2018: The IAU-Office of Astronomy for Development’s (OAD) sixth annual call for proposals has concluded and 16 projects have been selected to receive funding in 2018.
The OAD call for ...
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23 January 2018: The Astronomy Outreach Newsletter 2018 #2 is now online. It is produced by the IAU Office for Astronomy Outreach and brings to the general public the latest information about events ...
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6 January 2018: The Astronomy Outreach Newsletter 2018 #1 is now online. It is produced by the IAU Office for Astronomy Outreach and brings to the general public the latest information about events ...
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20 December 2017: The Astronomy Outreach Newsletter 2017 #24 is now online. It is produced by the IAU Office for Astronomy Outreach and brings to the general public the latest information about events ...
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12 December 2017: The International School for Young Astronomers (ISYA) is an initiative of the International Astronomical Union (IAU) which has reinforced and promoted the development of professional astronomy in communities around the ...
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