News and events of NCA IAU
The Committee for Astronomy of PAS also serves as the IAU National Committee for Astronomy (NCA) - the committee for cooperation with the International Astronomical Union (IAU).
This section contains articles related to the activities of the KA PAN as the IAU National Committee.
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- Written by: Yuliya Hoika
Dear colleagues,
You are reminded that the deadline for late registration for the XVII Latin American Regional IAU Meeting is the 13th of November.
The XVII LARIM will take place during the spring of the southern hemisphere in Montevideo, a city rich in cultural expressions.
This meeting is targeted to professional astronomers, postdocs, postgraduate and undergraduate students pursuing a research career in Astronomy and will provide an outstanding opportunity for scientific discussion and foster new collaborations among astronomers from Latin America.
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- Written by: Yuliya Hoika
Dear IAU member,
I write to update you on a revision to the revised IAU Code of Conduct. The IAU Executive Committee has had extensive discussions after the initial revised Code of Conduct was posted. I received about three dozen emails from individuals, invited the IAU Executive Committee Working Groups on Equity and Inclusion and on Women in Astronomy to provide comments and suggest revisions, and talked with many others. Many thanks to all of you who took the time to communicate with the IAU or me directly.
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- Written by: Yuliya Hoika
Dear IAU members,
We call your attention to the new Call to host the General Assembly in 2030!
This is a wonderful opportunity to host thousands of astronomers at our triennial international gathering. The IAU was formed over a century ago to bring astronomers together to share astronomical knowledge and foster new collaborations, extending over the last decades to outreach, development, training, education, and dark & quiet sky efforts.
Letters of Intent are due to the General Secretary on 1 November 2023, with additional questions due on 1 December 2023. On or near 15 December, four proposers will be invited to submit full proposals, due 1 April 2024. The additional questions and details for hosting are posted here.
We look forward to hearing from you.
Best regards,
Debra Elmegreen, IAU President
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- Written by: Yuliya Hoika
Dear colleagues,
You are reminded that the deadline for submitting Letters of Intent (LoIs) for 2025 IAU Symposia is the 15th of September. You are advised to read carefully the Rules & Guidelines for IAU Scientific Meetings before the preparation of an LoI.
Note that submission of an LoI is not obligatory, but it is strongly recommended. LoIs received by the deadline are posted on the IAU website to facilitate collaboration. The IAU places emphasis on obtaining a balanced program of meetings, scientifically and geographically. Past IAU symposia and future accepted symposia are listed here and here, respectively. You may also wish to consult the list of Focus Meetings accepted for next year's GA.
The IAU looks forward to receiving your LoIs.
Best regards
IAU Assistant General Secretaty Diana Worall
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- Written by: Yuliya Hoika
Dear IAU Member,
I am writing to update you on IAU activities. First, I extend my heartfelt condolences to our colleagues, their families, and friends who have been impacted by the tragic devastation caused by the fires in Hawai’i. I wish everyone strength as they strive to recover.
I have three important items to bring to your attention regarding (1) a revision to the Code of Conduct Policy, (2) Professional-Amateur opportunities, and (3) a new IAU brochure highlighting our work. Details are given below.
(1) Revision to the Code of Conduct
The Executive Committee has approved a revised Code of Conduct; the new version is available online: link. The Executive Committee Working Group on Equity and Inclusion suggested changes to the wording to align with current usages, such as his/her --> them, and adding to the list of protected classes (see Section 3.1, “promote fair treatment for all their colleagues, regardless of (but not limited to)…’’
On p. 4, a note on self-plagiarism is added: “Plagiarism and self-plagiarism are acts of reproducing text, ideas or other material from sources without proper credit, whether it is inserted verbatim or has been modified or paraphrased. This also applies to abstracts published in meeting proceedings, which must include a citation if already part of a published paper. Plagiarism and self-plagiarism are unethical and as such are in violation of IAU’s Ethics policies.”
The Executive Committee modified further details in the Code of Conduct. On p. 6 in the Harassment Policy, a link is given to UN definitions of harassment in different countries.
The most substantive change is on p. 7: “It is a form of harassment to physically or verbally abuse or discriminate against alleged offenders of IAU’s policies, or if such policies are found to have been breached, inflict (or pressure others to inflict) punishments besides those officially sanctioned. In addition, the physical or verbal abuse or discrimination of those who work or have worked with the alleged or sanctioned perpetrator, simply because of their scientific collaboration, is also a form of harassment and as such is covered by this policy.”
(2) As recently announced, the Executive Committee Working Group on Pro-Am Collaborations has just launched an effort to engage IAU members in new research collaborations with amateur astronomers. Please consider signing up with your project to work with an amateur group: link.
(3) The IAU Secretariat and the Office for Astronomy Outreach have completed an IAU brochure: link, for distribution to anyone wanting to learn more about the IAU, at local, regional, or national conferences, and during lectures or outreach. I hope you will enjoy sharing it.
I wish you all a productive new quarter, with preparations underway for the General Assembly in South Africa now less than a year away!
Best regards,
Debra Elmegreen,
IAU President
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- Written by: Marek Nikolajuk
The NameExoWorlds 2022 contest has selected 20 pairs of names for exoplanets and their host stars. The contest was organised within the framework of the IAU Office for Astronomy Outreach (OAO). The campaign attracted over 8800 professional and amateur astronomers, students, and teachers from 91 countries. The NameExoWorlds 2022 contest was open to anyone to form a team. The star and planet names were to be connected by a common theme, allowing other planets, if discovered in the future, to be named following the same theme. The newly adopted names are connected with native fauna and flora with cultural significance. For example, Wattle (WASP-19) & Banksia (WASP-19 b), and Añañuca (GJ 367) & Tahay (GJ 367 b) are names of native flora of Australia and Chile, Batsũ̀ (LHS 3844) & Kua'kua (LHS 3844 b) are the words in Bribri Language for hummingbird and butterfly that come from Costa Rica. Zembra (HATS-72) & Zembretta (HATS-72 b) are biosphere reserves in Tunisia. Wouri (WASP-69) is a river in Cameroon & Makombé (WASP-69 b) is its tributary. Kosjenka (WASP-63) & Regoč (WASP-63 b) refer to the work of Croatian writer Ivana Brlić-Mažuranić. Filetdor (WASP-166) & Catalineta (WASP-166 b) refer to Mallorcan folktales recorded by Antoni Maria Alcover i Sureda. Other names celebrated folktales, mythologies, and lore from around the world, including words in Maa, Cherokee, Taino, Zoque, Chinese, and Korean. The transiting exoplanet GJ 1214 b — ‘sub-Neptune’ in-size-planet — received the name Enaiposha, which refers to a large body of water like a lake or sea. Two hot-Neptune exoplanets, GJ 436 b and GJ 3470 b, orbit very close to their stars, on highly inclined show observational evidence for evaporating atmospheres, GJ 436 b was named Awohali — Cherokee for eagle. GJ 3470 b was named Phailinsiam — Thai for blue Siamese sapphire — suggesting the blue color of the planet. The hot sub-Earth-sized exoplanet GJ 367 b orbits its star every eight hours. It is most likely a very iron-rich planet. It has been named Tahay, after a flower that blooms for only about eight hours every year, similar to the length of the ‘year’ for this planet.
The full list of selected names can be found on NameExoWorlds website.
Debra Elmegreen, IAU President, noticed, “Congratulations to those who proposed winning names for these exoplanetary systems, and to everyone who entered. This large engagement of school children, the public, and professional astronomers in the competition is a fitting tribute to the efforts of the IAU Office for Astronomy Outreach over the past decade. Many thanks to the Working Group on Exoplanetary System Nomenclature and the OAO for running the competition.”
Based on the news: https://www.iau.org/news/pressreleases/detail/iau2304/
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- Written by: Marek Nikolajuk
I bring Season’s Greetings from the IAU family to all of you, as holidays and secular celebrations get underway around the world. While we come from a wide variety of backgrounds, nationalities, and cultures, we share a common sky, and our diversity enriches our collaborations. The IAU continues its mission of advancing astronomy to achieve a better world and a better understanding of our place in the Universe. Below are five quick points I wish to make on IAU values, deceased members, Sustainable Development Goals, donations, and IAU activities.
Thanks for your continued contributions to the work of the IAU. I hope 2023 ushers in a year of peace and health for us all.
Best wishes,
Professor Debra Elmegreen
President, IAU
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- Written by: Marek Nikolajuk
Dear IAU Members and Associates,
This is a reminder that the deadline for applications for the IAU PhD Prize is approaching on December 15th.
Please encourage your outstanding thesis students to apply.
More details can be found here: https://www.iau.org/news/announcements/detail/ann22037/
Best regards,
the IAU Secretariat