News
Proceedings IAU Symposium No. 277 online
6 December 2011
Proceedings IAU Symposium No. 277
"Tracing the Ancestry of Galaxies (on the land of our ancestors)"
Eds.: Claude Carignan, Ken Freeman, Françoise Combes
Cambridge University Press ISBN 9780-521-76602-9
The solar eclipse of 25 November 2011
21 November 2011
On Friday, 25 November 2011, a solar eclipse will sweep across the southern part of the world, with the Moon covering about 80% of the Sun at the south pole. Only viewers close enough to Antarctica — in Cape Town, South Africa, near sunrise, and in the Australian island of Tasmania and the South Island of New Zealand near sunset — will be able to see the Sun eclipsed. Even at its maximum on Earth, the eclipse will be only partial, with some of the everyday sun always visible. The central part of the shadow will pass 330 km below the south pole; 90% of the Sun will be covered at the part of Antarctica south of Patagonia, South America. Because the everyday sun is too bright to look at safely, special solar filters or projection methods should always be used to protect the eyes.
Prof. Jay Pasachoff of Williams College in the United States, the Chair of the International Astronomical Union's Working Group on Eclipses, will be viewing his 54th solar eclipse. He reports that "it is important to view it safely. Special solar filters are available cheaply. Another method of seeing that the Sun is eclipsed is to punch a hole a few millimeters across in a piece of cardboard and hold it up to the Sun while you face away from the Sun and see the Sun's image projected on another piece of cardboard. It is rare that haze or clouds are sufficient to reduce the Sun's intensity enough that one can see a partially covered Sun safely."
Links
- Post-eclipse links:
- Images will be posted at http://www.williams.edu/astronomy/eclipse
- For a longer version of this news article, contact eclipse@williams.edu
- The International Astronomical Union's website about eclipses with information on how to view an eclipse safely and why solar eclipses are interesting: http://www.eclipses.info
- Maps and tables of the eclipse at the NASA Website: http://eclipse.gsfc.nasa.gov/OH/OH2011.html, with a larger map at http://eclipse.gsfc.nasa.gov/OH/OHfigures/OH2011-Fig05.pdf
- More maps of the eclipse: www.eclipse-maps.com (http://www.eclipse-maps.com/Eclipse-Maps/Welcome_files/PSE2011_November_25_Magnitude_and_greatest_eclipse.jpg)
- Zoomable Google map with local times of the eclipse: http://xjubier.free.fr/en/site_pages/solar_eclipses/xSE_GoogleMapFull_Test.php?Ecl=+20111125&Acc=2&Umb=0&Lmt=1&Mag=1&Max=1
Contact
Prof. Jay M. Pasachoff (eclipse@williams.edu)
Letters on Intent for Symposia to be held in 2013
27 September 2011
Late LoI's are accepted, but should be submitted as quickly as possible. They will be made public as soon as they are received. The deadline for submission of full proposals remains Dec. 15.
Proceedings IAU Symposium No. 273 online
29 August 2011
Proceedings IAU Symposium No. 273
"The Physics of Sun and Star Spots"
Eds.: Debi Choudhary, Klaus Strassmeier
Cambridge University Press ISBN 9780-521-76062-1
Read more
Proceedings IAU Symposium No. 271 online
16 August 2011
Proceedings IAU Symposium No. 271
"Astrophysical Dynamics: from Stars to Galaxies"
Eds.: Nic Brummell, Allan Sacha Brun, Yannick Ponty, Mark S. Miesch
Cambridge University Press ISBN 9780-521-19739-7
Proceedings IAU Symposium No. 278 online
1 August 2011
Proceedings IAU Symposium No. 278
"Oxford IX” International Symposium on Archaeoastronomy
Eds.: C. Ruggles
Cambridge University Press ISSN: 1743-9213
IAU writes to AAS, CASCA and EAS in support of JWST Science
26 July 2011
Following recent announcements concerning the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) the IAU has written to the Presidents of the American Astronomical Society, the Canadian Astronomical Society and the European Astronomical Society to express its support for the science goals of the JWST. The text of the letter is:
“The International Astronomical Union (IAU) Executive Committee is concerned by recent developments possibly affecting the future of the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST). Whilst it is not for the IAU to comment on matters which are the prerogative of National Members, it wishes to associate itself with the American Astronomical Society, the Canadian Astronomical Society and the European Astronomical Society in strongly supporting the scientific case for the JWST.
It is widely accepted that the Hubble Space Telescope and its discoveries have transformed astronomy and had enormous worldwide impact on the public appreciation of science. The JWST, as the proposed successor to the Hubble, has capabilities surpassing those of the Hubble and will enable astronomers worldwide to address the most pressing questions in modern astrophysics. New technological advances by the JWST will enable fundamental discoveries of planets around other stars and the formation of the first structure in the early universe, topics of enormous public interest. It is seen by the astronomical community as a cornerstone of humanity’s exploration of the cosmos for the coming decades, and its importance to science cannot be overstated.
The IAU fully appreciates the current difficult economic times that now confront the world. Nevertheless, the IAU strongly supports the completion of this vitally important international project.”
The AAS statement can be found at http://aas.org/node/4483
The CASCA statement can be found at http://www.casca.ca/news_and_events.php (English) and
http://www.casca.ca/nouvelles_et_evenements.php (Français)
The EAS has said:
“European astronomers follow with great concern the evolution of the situation of the JWST project, as they are convinced that its cancellation would cause severe damage to the advancement of astronomy worldwide.
JWST promises to be one of the world leading instruments for the coming decade in astronomy. Following on the achievements of the Hubble Space Telescope, it will focus on the many questions related to the origins of planets, stars and galaxies. It is expected to be unsurpassed in scope and capabilities. In addition, many major developments in world astronomy, like the ALMA array and the giant telescope E-ELT, are being designed and developed taking into account the expected capabilities of JWST. Together these instruments will bring mankind to the next step in the understanding of the Cosmos. JWST is an essential part of this development. The loss of JWST would therefore damage astronomy in a major way in the USA, in Europe and in the world.
Many European astronomers and their funding agencies, together with colleagues in the USA and in Canada, have invested considerable resources and efforts in this project, in particular for the development of the MIRI and NIRSpec instruments. European astronomers within the instrument teams, and also very many others with no project involvement, have planned research programs for the coming years building on JWST capabilities, trusting that it will be launched as planned.
It would be a tragedy if JWST ended up as unfinished space hardware in a museum, leaving generations of future young scientists to wonder what "might have been" had it flown in space. Astronomers are hopeful and confident that solutions can be found that will do justice to the efforts and funds already invested worldwide in the JWST project.
The European Astronomical Society wishes to publicly express the concerns of its members about the current uncertainties affecting the development of the JWST mission. They also want to convey their hope that fruitful solutions will be found to complete and launch what promises to be a world leading astronomical observatory.”
Vacancy announcement: executive director at ICSU
20 July 2011
Professor Deliang Chen, Executive Director, will be leaving ICSU at the end of this year. ICSU is urgently looking for a new Executive Director to take up office as of 1 January 2012. More information about the position is available online on www.icsu.org/news-centre/jobs-at-icsu/executive-director
If you are interested in this position please contact Ian Corbett, IAU General Secretary, icorbett@iau.org, or Professor Maurice Tchuente, ICSU Secretary-General, secretarygeneral@icsu.org.
Proceedings IAU Symposium No. 272 online
13 July 2011
Proceedings IAU Symposium No. 272
"Active OB stars: structure, evolution, mass loss, and critical limits"
Eds.: C. Neiner, G. Wade, G. Meynet, G. Peters
Cambridge University Press ISBN 9780-521-19840-0
IB 108 is online
12 July 2011
The Information Bulletin 108 (July 2011) is online. Download the PDF file (2.0 MB) on this link.
