News
IB 109 is online
8 February 2012
The Information Bulletin 109 (January 2012) is online. Download the PDF file (4.8 MB) on this link.
Deadline for Early Registration for the 2012 General Assembly extended to Friday 17 March
1 February 2012
More information about the registration is available in the IAU GA website
Franco Pacini (1939 - 2012)
27 January 2012
The IAU greatly regrets to announce the death of Dr. Franco Pacini, on 25 January 2012. He served as President of the International Astronomical Union between 2001 and 2003, and was the inspiration behind the International Year of Astronomy 2009, a huge success for scientific outreach and increasing the awareness of astronomy around the world.
More information is available on:
- European Southern Observatory announcement
Call for expressions of interest/proposals to host OAD Regional Nodes
18 January 2012
The IAU Office of Astronomy for Development (OAD) seeks partners for implementing programmes described in the "IAU Strategic Plan 2010 – 2020". More information is available on: http://www.astro4dev.org/index.php/regions
Proceedings IAU Symposium No. 280 online
28 December 2011
Proceedings IAU Symposium No. 280
"The Molecular Universe"
Eds.: José Cernicharo and Rafael Bachiller
Cambridge University Press ISSN: 1743-9221
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
