CAPjournal Issue 36 Now Available

The 36th issue of the Communicating Astronomy with the Public Journal (CAPjournal) published by the IAU Office for Astronomy Outreach (OAO) is now available online. This issue is a special one for many reasons. First and foremost, it celebrates the most recent CAP Conference, which took place at Cité de l’espace in Toulouse, France, from 23 to 28 June 2024. This event was held in a hybrid format and brought together nearly 400 participants, of whom 42% joined online.

Image: Cover of CAPjournal Issue #36. Image Credit: Pierre Carton

With its bespoke web platform, the CAP2024 conference exemplified its theme – Astronomy communication in a hybrid world – by bringing people from 52 countries into conversation across cultural and digital divides. In this edition of CAPjournal, we present five of the many and varied projects discussed at the conference (PDF, 129MB) (PDF, 31MB).

This issue also marks a significant shift in the journal's publication process. Through the years, CAPjournal has undergone many changes. In 2007, it was established in response to a survey of members of the International Astronomical Union Commission 55 (now Commission C2), which revealed a clear need for a journal supporting the astronomy communicator community.

While CAPjournal’s mission has not changed, its format evolves with the needs of its audience. To further the IAU OAO’s goal of professionalising astronomy communication, and in keeping with professional standards in publishing, CAPjournal will now be hosted on a new website and participate in a new publication scheme. Under this new process, articles will no longer be published collectively in issues, but rather individually and on a continual basis. This will reduce waiting times for authors to be published and provide readers with new content more regularly. CAPjournal issue #36 will therefore be the final edition.

We invite everyone to submit an article to CAPjournal – the only fully open-access peer-reviewed journal dedicated to astronomy communication – and welcome submissions on a rolling basis. For more information about submitting your work or anything else related to CAPjournal, please take a look at the official website: capjournal.org.  

More Information

The IAU is the international astronomical organisation that brings together about 13,000 distinguished astronomers from around the world. Its mission is to promote and safeguard the science of astronomy in all its aspects, including research, communication, education and development, through international cooperation. The IAU also serves as the internationally recognised authority for assigning designations to celestial bodies and the surface features on them. Founded in 1919, the IAU is the world’s largest professional body for astronomers.

The IAU Office for Astronomy Outreach (OAO) is a joint project of the International Astronomical Union (IAU) and the National Astronomical Observatory of Japan (NAOJ). The mission of the OAO is to engage the public in astronomy through access to astronomical information and communication of the science of astronomy. This is implemented through a network of IAU National Outreach Coordinators (NOCs) and the IAU’s public engagement initiatives. The work of the OAO is about building bridges between the IAU and the global astronomy community of amateur astronomers, outreach professionals, educators, communicators, and the general public, and through international collaboration, to make the science of astronomy accessible to all.

Links

• CAPjournal Issue 36 (PDF, 129MB) (PDF, 31MB)
  
  

Contacts

Kelly Blumenthal
IAU Office for Astronomy Outreach, Director
CAPjournal, Editor-in-Chief
Email: [email protected]  

Lina Canas
IAU Membership Coordinator
Email: [email protected] / [email protected] 

Laura Hiscott
IAU Press Office Editor
Email: [email protected]