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30-743: The IERS was established in its present form in 1987 by the International Astronomical Union and the International Union of Geodesy and Geophysics , replacing the earlier International Polar Motion Service (IPMS) and the Earth rotation section of the Bureau International de l'Heure (BIH). The service began operation on January 1, 1988. Since its inception, the IERS has established new bureaus including

60-480: A broad term for systematized learning which includes both natural sciences and social sciences and fields such as literary studies, linguistics, history, or art history. (Often these terms are calques from Latin scientia (the etymological source of English science ) and, accordingly, derivatives of the verb 'know', such as German Wissenschaft , Swedish vetenskap , Hungarian tudomány , Estonian teadus or Finnish tiede .) Accordingly, for example

90-506: A form of honor. The other type of academies are Academy of Arts or combination of both (e.g., American Academy of Arts and Sciences ). Academy of Letters is another related expression, encompassing literature. In non-English-speaking countries, the range of academic fields of the members of a national Academy of Science often includes scholarly disciplines which would not normally be classed as "science" in English. Many languages use

120-579: A study assessing the feasibility of the Communicating Astronomy with the Public Journal ( CAP Journal ). Academies of Science An academy of sciences is a type of learned society or academy (as special scientific institution) dedicated to sciences that may or may not be state funded. Some state funded academies are national , or royal (i.e. United Kingdom's Royal Society of London for Improving Natural Knowledge ) as

150-585: 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

180-692: 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

210-534: 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,

240-526: 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,

270-802: 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

300-586: 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

330-642: Is the non-uniform time defined based on the Earth's rotation. It defined the IERS Reference Meridian , the International Terrestrial Reference System (ITRS), and subsequent International Terrestrial Reference Frames (ITRF). Related coordinate systems are used by satellite navigation systems like GPS and Galileo : WGS84 and GTRF . The definitions and relationships among ITRF, ICRF and EOP are established by IERS conventions standards. As of 2022,

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360-752: The GPS Coordinating Centre in 1990, the DORIS Coordinating Centre in 1994 and the Global Geophysical Fluids Centre in 1998. The organization was formerly known as International Earth Rotation Service until 2003 when it formally changed its name to its present form, in which the organization chose to retain the acronym IERS. The IERS has various components located in the United States , Europe and Australia . Among its other functions,

390-867: 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

420-675: The National Academy of Engineering (or National Academy of Engineering Sciences), separate from the national academy of sciences. Academies of science play an important role in science diplomacy efforts. Academies are increasingly organized in regional or even international associations. The Interacademy Partnership for example is a global network consisting of over 140 national, regional and global member academies of science, engineering and medicine. Additionally, there are many regional associations such as ALLEA in Europe, NASAC as

450-797: 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

480-466: 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

510-612: The Austrian Academy of Sciences ( Österreichische Akademie der Wissenschaften ), the Hungarian Academy of Sciences ( Magyar Tudományos Akadémia ), or the Estonian Academy of Sciences ( Eesti Teaduste Akadeemia ) also cover the areas of social sciences and humanities. As the engineering sciences have become more varied and advanced, there is a recent trend in many advanced countries to organize

540-582: 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

570-662: 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

600-926: 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

630-1004: 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),

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660-618: The IERS is responsible for announcing leap seconds . The Sub-bureau for Rapid Service and Predictions of Earth Orientation Parameters of the IERS, located at the United States Naval Observatory , monitors the Earth's rotation . Part of its mission involves the determination of a time scale based on the current rate of the rotation of the Earth. Other services of IERS are at the Paris Observatory . UT1

690-617: The Network of African Science Academies, IANAS in Latin America, and AASSA in Asia. Apart from national academies of science, there are now increasingly also national young academies. National young academies usually select members for a limited term, normally 4–5 years, after which members become academy alumni. Young academies typically engage with issues important to young scientists. These include, for example, science education or

720-630: 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

750-689: 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

780-539: 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,

810-648: 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

840-673: 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

870-469: The most recent convention is the IERS Conventions (2010). A mission of the IERS is to provide earth orientation information to the greater geodesy community in the form of bulletins: International Astronomical Union The International Astronomical Union ( IAU ; French : Union astronomique internationale , UAI ) is an international non-governmental organization (INGO) with

900-678: 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,

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