Issue 11 of the IAU Catalyst is a special edition dedicated to the XXXII IAU General Assembly, which took place at the Cape Town International Convention Centre and online from 6-15 August 2024. In this edition, we offer an insight into what the IAU community can expect from a General Assembly, as well as a 'sneak peek' of the next meeting in 2027.

Setting the tone to describe the outcomes of a unique General Assembly – the first to be held on the African continent – the issue begins with addresses by the new IAU President Willy Benz and IAU Secretary General Diana Worrall, who took up their positions at the closing ceremony of the meeting. Next, the Chairs of the National Organising Committees give an overview of the achievements of this historic event, which were made possible by the commitment of many sponsors. It is also thanks to the event’s sponsors that the meeting involved unprecedented community engagement activities, as reported by the Outreach and Education Chairs.

An IAU General Assembly is an opportunity to recognise excellence in astronomy, and also to honour those who have used astronomy to contribute to a better society. In this spirit, Sarah Hreha, Executive Director of the Gruber Foundation, reports on the Gruber Cosmology Prize, which was awarded at the meeting, while IAU Past-President Ewine van Dishoeck presents 'An ODE to Our Prize Winners,' acknowledging the recipients of awards for outreach, development and education.

The IAU is organised into Divisions, Commissions and Working Groups, and the General Assembly provides a unique opportunity for these bodies to meet in person once every three years, to discuss important topics in the subdisciplines of astronomy. In this issue, we hear from Richard de Grijs, Past President of Division C, and Andrej Prša and Merieme Chadid, the past and future Presidents of Division G respectively, about the work of these two subgroups.

Scientific meetings are at the heart of a General Assembly, and Cape Town hosted no fewer than 6 Symposia and 12 Focus Meetings across the two weeks of the conference. Sharing a flavour of these discussions, Yosry Azzam, Chair of Focus Meeting 1, reports on 'Harnessing ground-based optical telescopes: an opportunity for emerging astronomy in Africa'. Meanwhile, Themiya Nanayakkara and Michael Maseda, Chairs of Symposium 391, write about 'Transforming Our Cosmic Understanding: JWST Insights and Community Building'.

Last but not least, the IAU Offices and the IAU Centre for the Protection of the Dark and Quiet Sky from Satellite Constellation Interference (CPS) have risen to the challenge of this unique General Assembly, building on their rich history of collaboration. We learn about the Offices’ efforts in Astronomy for Society, reported by Joyful Mdhluli of the IAU Office of Astronomy for Development (OAD), Kelly Blumenthal, Director of the Office for Astronomy Outreach (OAO), Itziar Aretxaga, Director of the Office for Young Astronomers (OYA), and Markus Pössel, Director of the Office of Astronomy for Education (OAE).

While it is impossible to fully capture the General Assembly in just a few pages, these highlights aim to convey a sense of the community experience, both scientific and social, that this event provides. We are grateful to all those who have contributed to this issue by sharing their perspectives, and hope that you have already marked your calendars for the next General Assembly in Rome in August 2027.

The issue also includes information on IAU publications, dates and deadlines.

The Catalyst is published twice a year as an electronic-only bulletin. We hope you enjoy reading it and encourage both IAU members and the wider IAU community to get involved in future issues by submitting news and articles about events or issues that you feel are relevant to IAU members.

Previous issues of the IAU Catalyst are also available on the IAU website.

More information

The IAU is the international astronomical organisation that brings together more than 12 000 active professional astronomers from more than 100 countries worldwide. Its mission is to promote and safeguard 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.

Links

IAU Catalyst 11 (PDF 11.2 MB)

Contacts

Willy Benz
IAU President
Email: willy.benz@unibe.ch

Diana Worrall
IAU General Secretary
Email: IAU-general.secretary@iap.fr

Lina Canas
IAU Membership Coordinator
Email: lina.canas@iau.org / iaupressoffice@iau.org