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35-701: Agata Różańska (Poland) serves as the EAS Newsletter editor. The President of the European Astronomical Society chairs the governing Council of the EAS and liaises with similar societies in countries around the world, and with the International Astronomical Union on behalf of the European astronomy community. The first person to hold the title of President of the European Astronomical Society

70-411: A second term. The current president is Sara Lucatello ( Padua , Italy ), who took up the role in 2024. The European Astronomical Society awards several prizes on an annual or biannual basis. International Astronomical Union The International Astronomical Union ( IAU ; French : Union astronomique internationale , UAI ) is an international non-governmental organization (INGO) with

105-564: A study assessing the feasibility of the Communicating Astronomy with the Public Journal ( CAP Journal ). Planetary nomenclature Planetary nomenclature , like terrestrial nomenclature, is a system of uniquely identifying features on the surface of a planet or natural satellite so that the features can be easily located, described, and discussed. Since the invention of the telescope , astronomers have given names to

140-564: 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

175-677: Is a member of the International Science Council , which is composed of international scholarly and scientific institutions and national academies of sciences . 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 . 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. The IAU

210-529: 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 IAU maintains friendly relations with organizations that include amateur astronomers in their membership. The IAU has its head office on the second floor of the Institut d'Astrophysique de Paris in the 14th arrondissement of Paris . This organisation has many working groups. For example,

245-514: 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,

280-750: 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. In 2004 the IAU contracted with the Cambridge University Press to publish the Proceedings of the International Astronomical Union . In 2007, the Communicating Astronomy with the Public Journal Working Group prepared

315-616: Is appropriate, it can be retained for use when there is a request from a member of the scientific community for a name of a specific feature. Names that pass review by a task group are submitted to the IAU Working Group for Planetary System Nomenclature (WGPSN). Once approved by the WGPSN, names are considered official and can be used on maps and in publications. They are also listed in the Gazetteer of Planetary Nomenclature . Names adopted by

350-715: Is named after James Clerk Maxwell . When space probes have landed on Mars, individual small features such as rocks, dunes, and hollows have often been given informal names . Many of these are frivolous: features have been named after ice cream (such as Cookies N Cream ); cartoon characters (such as SpongeBob SquarePants and Patrick ); and 1970s music acts (such as ABBA and the Bee Gees ). Features on Deimos are named after authors who wrote about Martian satellites. There are currently two named features on Deimos – Swift crater and Voltaire crater  – after Jonathan Swift and Voltaire who predicted

385-568: 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. Since 1922, the IAU General Assembly meets every three years, except for the period between 1938 and 1948, due to World War II . After a Polish request in 1967, and by a controversial decision of the then President of

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420-837: The International Central Bureau of Astronomical Telegrams initially seated in Copenhagen , Denmark. 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. 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). Thirty-two Commissions (referred to initially as Standing Committees) were appointed at

455-758: 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. The sovereign body of the IAU is its General Assembly , which comprises all members. The Assembly determines IAU policy, approves the Statutes and By-Laws of the Union (and amendments proposed thereto) and elects various committees. The right to vote on matters brought before

490-461: The Assembly varies according to the type of business under discussion. The Statutes consider such business to be divided into two categories: 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

525-567: 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

560-416: The IAU must follow various rules and conventions established and amended through the years by the Union. These include: In addition to these general rules, each task group develops additional conventions as it formulates an interesting and meaningful nomenclature for individual planetary bodies. Names for all planetary features include a descriptor term, with the exception of two feature types. For craters,

595-640: The IAU, an Extraordinary IAU General Assembly was held in September 1973 in Warsaw , Poland, to commemorate the 500th anniversary of the birth of Nicolaus Copernicus , soon after the regular 1973 GA had been held in Sydney. Sources. 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

630-867: The IAU, and is a "clearinghouse" for all non-planetary or non-moon bodies in the Solar System. The IAU was founded on 28 July 1919, at the Constitutive Assembly of the International Research Council (now the International Science Council ) held in Brussels , Belgium. Two subsidiaries of the IAU were also created at this assembly: the International Time Commission seated at the International Time Bureau in Paris, France, and

665-439: The IAU, except as provided for by Rule 2 above. As for the larger objects, official names for any such small features would have to conform to established IAU rules and categories. All but three features on Venus are named after female personages (goddesses and historical or mythological women). These three exceptions were named before the convention was adopted, being respectively Alpha Regio, Beta Regio, and Maxwell Montes which

700-930: 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),

735-612: The Moon and Mercury (drawn from telescopic observations) to describe vague albedo features. It is now used to delineate a broad geographic region. Named features on bodies so small that coordinates have not yet been determined are identified on drawings of the body that are included in the IAU Transactions volume of the year when the names were adopted. Satellite rings and gaps in the rings are named for scientists who have studied these features; drawings that show these names are also included in

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770-630: The Union had 85 national members and 12,734 individual members, spanning 90 countries and territories. 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

805-675: The Union held the NameExoWorlds contests. 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 . As of 1 August 2019, the IAU has a total of 13,701 individual members , who are professional astronomers from 102 countries worldwide; 81.7% of individual members are male, while 18.3% are female. Membership also includes 82 national members , professional astronomical communities representing their country's affiliation with

840-528: The Union's history are well documented. Subsequent history is recorded in the form of reminiscences of past IAU Presidents and General Secretaries. Twelve of the fourteen past General Secretaries in the period 1964–2006 contributed their recollections of the Union's history in IAU Information Bulletin No. 100. Six past IAU Presidents in the period 1976–2003 also contributed their recollections in IAU Information Bulletin No. 104. In 2015 and 2019,

875-615: 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). The first 50 years of

910-652: 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

945-400: The appropriate IAU task group (a commonly accepted planet-naming group). Later, as higher resolution images and maps become available, additional features are named at the request of investigators mapping or describing specific surfaces, features, or geologic formations. Anyone may suggest that a specific name be considered by a task group. If the members of the task group agree that the name

980-435: The descriptor term is implicit. Some features named on Io and Triton do not carry a descriptor term because they are ephemeral. In general, the naming convention for a feature type remains the same regardless of its size. Exceptions to this rule are valleys and craters on Mars and Venus; naming conventions for these features differ according to size. One feature classification, regio , was originally used on early maps of

1015-937: The naming convention is heroines from plays by Shakespeare and Pope. Features on Proteus are to be named after water-related spirits, gods or goddesses who are neither Greek nor Roman. The only named feature on Proteus is crater Pharos . Geological features on Triton should be assigned aquatic names, excluding those which are Roman and Greek in origin. Possible themes for individual descriptor terms include worldwide aquatic spirits, famous terrestrial fountains or fountain locations, terrestrial aquatic features, famous terrestrial geysers or geyser locations and terrestrial islands. There are currently no named features on Nereid. When features are discovered, they are to be named after individual nereids . Features on other satellites of Neptune, once discovered, should be named after gods and goddesses associated with Neptune / Poseidon mythology or generic mythological aquatic beings. In February 2017,

1050-674: 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,

1085-578: The only exception is Cassini Regio , which is named after its discoverer, Giovanni Cassini . Satellites of Uranus are named for characters from the works of William Shakespeare or from The Rape of the Lock . Mischievous (Pucklike) spirits (class) Characters, places from Shakespeare's plays Light spirits (individual and class) Dark spirits (individual) Female Shakespearean characters, places Shakespearean tragic heroes and places There are currently no named features on Uranian small satellites, however

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1120-759: The pertinent Transactions volume. Names for atmospheric features are informal at present; a formal system will be chosen in the future. The boundaries of many large features (such as terrae, regiones, planitiae and plana ) are not topographically or geomorphically distinct; the coordinates of these features are identified from an arbitrarily chosen center point. Boundaries (and thus coordinates) may be determined more accurately from geochemical and geophysical data obtained by future missions. During active missions, small surface features are often given informal names. These may include landing sites, spacecraft impact sites, and small topographic features, such as craters, hills, and rocks. Such names will not be given official status by

1155-1085: The presence of Martian moons. All features on Phobos are named after scientists involved with the discovery, dynamics, or properties of the Martian satellites or people and places from Jonathan Swift 's Gulliver's Travels . People and places associated with the Amalthea myth. Features on Thebe are named after people and places associated with the Thebe myth. There is only one named feature on Thebe – Zethus Crater . People from myth of Castor and Pollux (twins) People from myth of Castor and Pollux (twins) People and places from Malory's Le Morte d'Arthur legends (Baines translation) People and places from Burton's Arabian Nights People and places from Homer's Odyssey Locations from Roman mythology, or people and places from Virgil's Aeneid People and places from creation myths Sun and Moon deities People and places from Sayers' translation of Chanson de Roland ;

1190-489: The surface features they have discerned, especially on the Moon and Mars . To found an authority on planetary nomenclature, the International Astronomical Union (IAU) was organized in 1919 to designate and standardize names for features on Solar System bodies. When images are first obtained of the surface of a planet or satellite, a theme for naming features is chosen and a few important features are named, usually by members of

1225-468: Was Lodewijk Woltjer , a post he held from the founding of the EAS until 1994. The post has a term of office of four years, the same as the other offices on the governing Council of the Society, and the office transfers from the incumbent at the conclusion of the final EAS Annual Meeting of their term. Thierry Courvoisier  [ fr ] and Roger Davies are the only holders to have been re-elected for

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