For the first two weeks of August, Hawaii will be the centre of the Universe when 4000 astronomers from at least 75 countries gather in Honolulu for the XXIX General Assembly of the International Astronomical Union (IAU). Expected to be the largest professional astronomy conference since the Big Bang, the meeting, held on 3–14 August 2015, will feature thousands of scientific presentations, numerous policy discussions, and several exciting media events.

With the General Assembly fast approaching, registration time is running out for the all-day press tour to Maunakea. The mountain is Hawaii's highest and most sacred peak and home to one of the greatest astronomical observing site on Earth. The deadline for the press tour registration is 6 July. More details, and information on how to register, can be found here.

Press information, including details of public events, press rooms and facilities, and relevant contacts, can be found here.

If you haven't yet arranged your accommodation, we urge you to check the conference website as soon as possible. The IAU has booked blocks of rooms in a number of hotels, which are available at reduced rates for the registered participants. Full details can be found here.

Links

• Press Office Information
• Press Tour Information
• Lodging

Contacts

Lars Lindberg Christensen
IAU Press Officer
Garching bei München, Germany
Tel: +49 89 320 06 761
Cell: +49 173 38 72 621
Email: lars@eso.org

Raquel Yumi Shida
IAU Deputy Press Officer
Garching bei München, Germany
Tel: +49 89 320 06 177
Cell: +49 151 5066 2673
Email: rshida@eso.org

Local press contacts

Roy Gal
University of Hawaii Institute for Astronomy
Cell: +1 301-728-8637
Email: rgal@ifa.hawaii.edu

Talia Ogliore
Tel: +1 808-956-4531
Cell: +1 626-390-8628
Email: togliore@hawaii.edu

Louise Good
University of Hawaii Institute for Astronomy
Cell: +1 808-381-2939
Email: good@ifa.hawaii.edu

Steve Jefferson
Keck Observatory
Email: sjefferson@keck.hawaii.edu

Peter Michaud
Gemini Observatory
Email: pmichaud@gemini.edu