INFORMATION BULLETIN No. 83

The activities of the IAU form a sort of tidal-wave pattern, with highs at the General Assemblies and lows midway between. Thus, this Information Bulletin appears at what should be "low ebb". In fact, there has been no noticeable decrease in the workload of the Secretariat, but the direction of the flow is changing perceptibly: With the Highlights and Transactions volumes from the last GA off to print, and a first Web page and meeting proposal forms for the next GA now in place, the outgoing tide from Kyoto is over and the incoming tide for Manchester picking up.

1. FAITS DIVERS

Fortunately, the second half of 1998 has been somewhat less exciting in terms of disruptions of our work by unexpected outside events in the astronomical and personal spheres: No asteroids, no staff departures, no accidents, etc.! We did spend far more time than expected on a computer upgrade after yet another disk crash of our previous laptop PCs, as well as on a capricious piece of software called Windows NT. However, at the time of writing, all is working fine in the skilled hands of Monique Léger-Orine and Jodi Greenberg. All this, unfortunately, caused delays in the preparation of Highlights of Astronomy Vol. 11 and Transactions XXIIIB, recording our scientific and other business in Kyoto. However, with the strong help of three spirited Copenhagen students, the Highlights (two volumes totalling 1200 pages!) went to press in August and should be out before the end of 1998. Also the Transactions (another 750 pages) are now in the hands of Kluwer and should be out shortly after you receive this IB. As this is the last IAU volume to be produced by Kluwer in their 30-year period as IAU Publisher, I take the opportunity to thank them for their collaboration over all these years, and to welcome the ASP, the IAU Publishers for the next six years

2. MAIN DEADLINES IN 1999-2000

The Local Organizing Committee is moving ahead with arrangements for the XXIVth General Assembly to be held in Manchester, UK during the period 7-19 August 2000. Members will be interested to learn that Manchester International Airport's second runway will be commissioned on this timescale, thereby increasing its capacity to 20 million passengers per year. Many of you will be able to fly directly into Manchester. Others will make use of the Channel Tunnel which is increasingly popular with travellers from Europe. Much information about travel arrangements will be provided in due course.

World Event Management has been contracted to undertake the registration and accommodation booking management for the General Assembly. Arrangements will be in place for electronic as well as paper registration and payment. Accommodation reservations have been secured, including ample provisions of low-cost rooms.

A sub-committee of the LOC is working on an interesting and varied programme of vistits during the General Assembly for participants and accompanying persons. Historic and scenic sites abound, ranging from the Wordsworth houses in the Lake District to Chatsworth House (the Cavendish family home) in the Pennines. Opportunities will also be available to view the well-known radio telescopes at Jodrell Bank.

An experienced Editor has been chosen for the daily newspaper of the General Assembly. This is a vital organ of communication during the meeting and has been an indispensable feature of recent General Assemblies.

4. NEWS FROM DIVISIONS

An increasing number of Division and Commissions have set up Web pages, as noted below. Links to all of these are provided from the IAU and Divisional Web pages as appropriate.

The 71st meeting of the EC took place in the Council Room of Observatoire de Paris, France, on July 3 and 4, 1998, at the invitation of Vice-President Catherine Cesarsky. From the many topics discussed and decisions taken, the following highlights are mentioned here:

6. SCIENTIFIC MEETINGS IN 1999

Proposals for Joint Discussions at GA XXIV should be submitted to the General Secretary, and proposals for GA symposia, Colloquia, Regional Meetings, and Co-sponsered Meetings in 2000 to the Assistant General Secretary (cf. Rules for Scientific Meetings) No later than March 15, 1999 Proposals should be submitted via the approiate Division President, complete with all supporting documents, and with copies to all Commisions concerned, by the above date.

During the 20th century, astronomy has made great progress on the most fundamental questions concerning the origin and evolution of the Universe and our place in it. Within subjects ranging from the origin and evolution of the Solar system, the formation and evolution of stars and the origin of the chemical elements, the nature and evolution of galaxies, up to the structure, origin, and evolution of the Universe itself, sound physical theories have been developed and tested against a wealth of increasingly detailed observational facts.

Except in the Solar system, astronomers cannot conduct experiments on the subjects of their studies. Thus, our understanding of the Universe is primarily based on observations of the electromagnetic and other kinds of radiation emitted by stars and galaxies. The dramatic recent progress is due to a series of observational breakthroughs, made with ground and space based observatories and closely linked to the development of cutting-edge technologies. In order to probe the diverse range of astronomical objects, observations must cover all wavelengths from radio via infrared and optical to X- and gamma-rays, some of which are only accessible from space.

The phenomena thus discovered include the most violent events known in the Universe. Yet, these objects are so far away that the signals recorded by astronomical telescopes when capturing radiation from the early phases of the Universe are vastly fainter than those familiar from everyday life. This fact makes astronomy especially vulnerable to, but also a very sensitive indicator of, environmental degradation affecting the night sky at all wavelengths.

At the threshold of the third millennium, progress in the further exploration of the depths of the universe is threatened by human activities affecting the night sky. Briefly, these adverse effects are fourfold:

1: Pollution by scattered light from ground based light sources.

To millions of people living in or near great cities or industrial centres, the sight of the dark night sky is unknown. Plainly visible from space, this light not only obliterates the faint signals reaching us from the Universe, it also represents the useless waste of much fossil or nuclear fuel. Thus, economic incentive and scientific interest go hand in hand in this matter. Simple measures exist to direct light where it is needed, and thus both conserve energy and keep the night sky pristine; they need to be implemented more widely. The IAU values and supports the numerous national and local initiatives taken to promote understanding and action on this issue.

Radio astronomy has contributed several of the most fundamental discoveries of the past century. Now, however, it is under relentless and increasing pressure, above all from the communications industry, to give up the protected wavebands containing the astrophysically most important frequencies. Considering that an ordinary portable telephone, if placed on the Moon, would be one of the very brightest sources in the radio sky at its wavelength, even sideband radiation from transmissions in a permitted waveband may be fatal to astronomy. Continued efforts by the IAU and URSI (Union de Radio Science Internationale), as represented by the Inter-Union Committee on the Allocation of Frequencies for Radio Astronomy and Space Science (IUCAF) within the International Telecommunications Union (ITU), are vital for radio astronomy to survive in the face of this competition.

Space debris from spacecraft and launchers has two kinds of deleterious effects on astronomy: First, it leaves luminous trails on the sky which ruin astronomical observations. Second, direct hits by spacecraft debris are a threat to the survival of scientific satellite observatories, including the International Space Station, somewhat analogous to the effects of swarms of small natural meteorites. The former effect is mainly felt by astronomers; the latter problem affects all satellites regardless of their purpose. For this reason, international efforts are under way to control the growth of space debris, which will hopefully also benefit astronomy.

Experiments continue to be proposed which would place strongly luminous objects in space, whether for technology assessment (generation and transmission of illumination or power), or for artistic or commercial purposes. Responsibly executed and carefully controlled experiments should, of course be allowed, but malfunctions may occur. Moreover, at the moment, no international regulations exist to prevent uncontrolled private and other enterprises from launching objects into space that would ruin the night sky for people of all nations, potentially for many generations: Unlike ground-based art or advertising displays, space displays respect no national sovereignty or environmental regulations. An international treaty is needed to prevent unbridled proliferation of such displays to the irreparable detriment of scientific progress in astronomy.

The IAU, therefore, urgently appeals to the nations of the world to negotiate and implement an international treaty regulating space activities that would unnecessarily endanger what is perhaps the last natural resource available to all mankind: The night sky. Clearly, nations should be free to develop potentially beneficial space technology in a controlled and responsible manner as defined by internationally recognised guidelines. The IAU urges, however, that such guidelines be defined with due regard to the protection of peaceful scientific investigation, following the models set by, e.g. the Antarctic Treaty or the international agreements on radio frequency allocations.

The Solar system contains a large number of bodies ranging in size from the major planets to tiny meteorites. Research over the last several decades has revealed that all major bodies of the Solar system have suffered larger or smaller impacts of bodies ranging in size from millimetres to kilometres, the best-known example of which is the abundance of craters on the Moon. Geological features on Earth show that impacts of significant size have occurred also on our own planet. The realization that such impacts occur at long, but presently poorly-known intervals has recently caused growing concern in the public, and in the press.

Research on the minor constituents of the Solar system - the minor planets or asteroids - has formed part of astronomical research for the last two centuries. The International Astronomical Union (IAU) has acted as the international focal point for this research since the foundation of the Union in 1919, in particular through its Commission on the Positions and Motions of Minor Planets, Planets, and Satellites. As part of this function, the IAU has for over 50 years operated a Minor Planet Center (MPC), currently at the Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory (SAO; Cambridge, Mass., USA), for the collection of data and the dissemination of information concerning minor planets and, lately, comets. When continued research showed that the orbits of several minor planets crossed that of the Earth, the IAU in 1991 appointed a Working Group on Near Earth Objects (NEO) to coordinate international studies of NEOs and develop suitable strategies for detection, follow-up, and orbit prediction. As one result of this work, the international Spaceguard Foundation was formed, and a number of observational programs for the detection of NEO's have been started. The WGNEO is also active in the development of proven algorithms for long-term NEO orbit prediction and thus for assessing the distance to which NEOs may approach Earth within the next few centuries.

Currently, the number, size distribution, and orbits of individual NEOs are incompletely known from observation. Thus, the most urgent task is the detection and observation of NEO's to determine their orbits. This is an international responsibility that requires the efforts of and support for astronomers around the world. As the international organization of professional astronomers, the IAU coordinates this activity through the NEO Working Group and offers the services of the MPC for the collection and collation of new observations and computation of predictions from which follow-up observations can be made to improve our knowledge of the orbits and sizes of these objects.

It is possible that, sometime in the future, these studies may lead to the prediction of an actual impact on Earth. In such a case, this information must be promptly conveyed to the governments of the world, who may be in a position to organise countermeasures (a subject outside the mandate of the IAU). On the other hand, public announcements of potential impacts without proper verification are clearly undesirable. The IAU has therefore charged the WGNEO, in consultation with astronomers worldwide, to draft a set of recommended procedures to be followed in case minor planets and comets are discovered that lead to predictions by the MPC of potential impacts. These procedures will conform to the following general principles:

1: All information will be openly shared with astronomers and the general public world-wide.

2: The content of public statements that might alarm the public will be subject to prior scientific peer review by the IAU.

3: The IAU Officers and appropriate authorities will be consulted before such information is released to the press.

The IAU reaffirms and increases its support of the Minor Planet Center, as the international clearing-house for this research, and acknowledges the support of SAO and NASA for its operation. The IAU encourages all countries of the world to contribute to the effort of charting the NEO population and will continue to ensure that this global issue is addressed in a properly international forum.

9. IAU WORKING RULES, AS REVISED AT THE 71^ST EC MEETING

I    NON-DISCRIMINATION

10. THE IAU ARCHIVES 1919-1970

The preservation of the Archives of the Union is one of the responsibilities of the General Secretary. As previously mentioned, we are fortunate that former IAU President Prof. Adriaan Blaauw, has undertaken, and now completed, the sorting, selection, packing and inventory of our archives for the period 1919-1970.

By agreement with the French Académie des Sciences, the IAU achives have been deposited in the Archives of the Académie where they will be preserved and administrated to fully professional standards, a task that would be impossible for our Secretariat to undertake. All access to the IAU archives will require the prior written authorisation of the IAU General Secretary. Requests for access to the IAU archives, including a description of the scientific project for which they will be used, should be addresses to the General Secretary well in advance of the projected visit. The IAU expects to receive a copy of all publications or reports including material from its archives.

Prof. Blaauw has prepared a detailed Inventory of the IAU archives, indicating the existence and precise location of the archival material. The Inventory (approx. 60 pages) will be printed in a limited number of copies, available upon request to the IAU Secretariat. The Inventory will also be made available from the IAU Web page, under Administrative Matters.

An integral part of the Archives is a collection of the IAU Transactions for the period, which is, however, unfortunately not complete. The missing Volumes are Nos. I (1922), V (1935), and XIIIA (1967). There is also a collection of all General Assembly Newspapers which have appeared since such newspapers were initiated in 1958, except that the whole set from the GA in Buenos Aires (1991) is missing. We should be very grateful to readers who might be able to provide these missing volumes and newspapers.

11. EDUCATIONAL ACTIVITIES

The primary educational activities of the IAU are the exchange programme operated by Commission 38 (see below), the International Schools for Young Astronomers (ISYA), and the Teaching for Astronomy Development (TAD) programmes organised by Commission 46. Partial support for these activities from ICSU and UNESCO is gratefully acknowledged.

12. RELATIONS TO OTHER ORGANIZATIONS

ICSU: A major concern of the General Secretary (GS) has been to strengthen liaisons with our main international partner organizations. Developments at ICSU were described in IB 82 (p. 13), and we are collaborating with ICSU on the plans for the UNESCO/ICSU World Conference on Science in Budapest in June 1999. A major concern of the General Secretary (GS) has been to strengthen liaisons with our main international partner organizations. Developments at ICSU were described in IB 82 (p. 13), and we are collaborating with ICSU on the plans for the UNESCO/ICSU World Conference on Science in Budapest in June 1999.

COSPAR: Our long-standing good relations to COSPAR are being strengthened in our collaboration on the organization of two meetings (on environmental and educational matters) at UNISPACE III in 1999, and constructive discussions on more long-term joint initiatives in the educational field are under way. The COSPAR Executive Director, Prof. S. Grzedzielski, has provided the following short report on the 32nd COSPAR Scientific Assembly:

Three new members were elected to the COSPAR Bureau 1998-2002, including the current IAU General Secretary.

United Nations: The IAU has Observer status with the UN Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space in Vienna, which has been instrumental in preparing the major UN treaties and conventions regarding outer space. Former IAU GS Derek McNally has been very effective in raising awareness of the environmental dangers to astronomy there. Our efforts are now directed at collecting support for an agreement to regulate the launch of strongly luminous and radio-emitting satellites, so science may remain alive in parallel with technical and commercial developments. The UN Office of Outer Space Affairs also has a long record of educational initiatives in astronomy in developing countries. We are seeking ways to develop this synergy to make everybody's efforts more effective: Bright young scientists need not only brains and training (e.g. through an ISYA), but also a job and appropriate tools to use their capabilities effectively in the service of their country. Collaboration between pure and applied sciences, and with governments, should help to reach this goal.

Following five years of non-payment of dues, and after several attempts to arrive at a solution to this problem, the EC regretted to note that the membership of Azerbaijan had terminated at the end of 1997, pursuant to Article 7 of the IAU statutes.

The General Secretary regrets to report the following names of Members whose death has been reported to the Secretariat since the XXIIIrd General Assembly

Ballario M C

Barnothy Jeno

Becker Wilhelm

Brückner Guenter E

Bruston Paul

Burger J J

Byrne Patrick B

Caughlan Georgeanne R

Cheng Chung-chieh

Dinescu A

Dossin F

Dramba C

Durgaprasad N

Edlén Bengt

Eelsalu Heino

Elgaroy Öystein

Emerson David

Engelbrecht Christian,

Gent Hubert

Hansson Nils

Hosokawa Yoshimasa H

Izvekov Vladimir

Kamper Karl W

Kikuchi Sadaemon

Kojoian Gabriel

Kustaanheimo Paul

Laurent Bertel E

Le Dourneuf Maryvonne

Lunel Madeleine

Machado Silva

Mandzhos Andrej V

Mariotti Jean-Marie

Markowitz William

Michalitsianos Andrew

Missana Natale

Moons Michele B M M

Oesterwinter Claus

Ponnamperuma Cyril

Prosser Jr Charles

Rodgers Alex W

Sato Yuzo

Schramm David N

Scott Elizabeth L

Strong John D

Sundelius Björn

Suzuki Yoshimasa

Swihart Thomas L

Szebehely Victor G

Tagliaferri, Giuseppe

Troitsky V S

Tsubokawa Ietsune

Vaghi Sergio

Vahia Mayank N

Venkatesan Doraswamy

Wallenquist Åke A E

Wildey Robert L

Wood Frank Bradshaw

Worley Charles

Wright Frances

13.3 Address Updates Needed for IAU Members or Consultants!

A major effort has been made by the Secretariat to bring the membership data base up to date. We thank all who sent information regarding previously listed Members or Consultants with erroneous addresses. In many cases, this information allowed us to "recover" these Members. However, we still need accurate address information for the following Members (mail to the addresses below is returned), and would appreciate all possible help from readers:

14. PUBLICATIONS

Proceedings of IAU General Assemblies and Symposia are published as a series by the IAU Publisher, i.e. by Kluwer for all meetings through 1997 and by the Astronomical Society of the Pacific for all meetings from 1998 onwards. Publishers for Proceedings of IAU Colloquia, Regional Meetings, and Co-Sponsored Meetings are chosen by the organisers.

Lists of previous IAU meetings and their proceedings are maintained at the IAU Web site under Scientific Meetings and IAU Publications. Please report any errors or omissions to the Secretariat. Especially, our information on some early Colloquia is still incomplete, and we would appreciate any additional information that may enable us to complete it. Moreover, while the Secretariat has a complete set of Symposium volumes, our collection of Colloquium proceedings is seriously incomplete. The missing volumes will be identified in the list posted on the Web, and we shall be most grateful to readers for any donations of missing books.

The Highlights of Astronomy, Vol 11A+B and IAU Transactions Vol. XXIIIB are now in print; the former should appear by the end of 1998.

Since IB 82, the following Proceedings of IAU sponsored meetings have appeared:

14.1. IAU Symposia (All Kluwer Academic Publishers)

184 The Central Regions of the Galaxy and Galaxies

185 New Eyes to See Inside the Sun and the Stars : Pushing the Limits of Helio and Astero-Seismology with New Observations from the Ground and from Space

188 The Hot Universe

162 New Trends in Astronomy Teaching

166 The Local Bubble and Beyond

Some publishers send complimentary review copies of new books to the IAU Secretariat. Although we cannot undertake to bring book reviews in the IB, the basic information on such books received in 1997-1998 is listed below.

Kluwer Academic Publishers, Dordrecht, The Netherlands:

212 Wide-Field Spectroscopy

216 Magnetohydrodynamics in Binary Stars

217 Nonequilibrium Processes in the Planetary and Cometary Atmosphere: Theory and Applications

218 Astronomical Time Series

219 The Interstellar Medium in Galaxies

220 The Three galileos: The man, the spacecraft. the telescope.

223 Visual Double Stars: Formation, Dynamics and Evolutionary Tracks

224 Electronic Publishing for Physics and Astronomy

225 SCORe '96 Solar Convection and Oscillations and Their Relationship

226 Observational Cosmology With the New Radio Surveys

227 Solar System Ices

229 Observational Plasma Astrophysics: Five Years of Yohkoh and Beyond

C501 High Angular Resolution in Astrophysics

C502 The Cosmic Microwave Background

C503 Generation of Cosmological Large-Scale Structure

C509 Polar Cap Boundary Phenomena

ISSI 2 Transport Across the Boundaries of the Magnetosphere

Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, UK, and Cambridge, MA, USA:

CAS 30 Globular Cluster Systems

CAS 31 Pulsar Astronomy

CAS 32 Accretion Processes in Star Formation

Instrumentation for Large Telescopes

Other publishers:

15. OTHER MEETINGS ON ASTRONOMICAL TOPICS

16. ANNOUNCEMENTS

Following an appeal from German and international astronomers, including IAU President R.P. Kraft, the President of the Astronomische Gesellschaft, Prof. W. Pfau, informs us that the city of Bad Salzuflen has agreed to take responsibility for the preservation of the grave of Walter Baade, who has left no living descendants. The IAU shares the appreciation of our German colleagues that the resting-place of this eminent astronomer will thus be preserved as a "Prominent Person's Grave" by his home city.

The International Earth Rotation Service (IERS) announces a time step at the end of 1998. At midnight, the second marker 23h 59m 59s of 1998 December 31 will be followed by 23h 59m 60s (same date), then by 0h 0m 0s of January 1, 1999. The difference TAI-UTC will then increase from +31s to +32s.

The Secretariat has received the International Geophysical Calendar for 1999. This Calendar is issued under the auspices of the International Space Environment Service (ISES) of the International Council for Science (ICSU). Observations for solar phenomena and the International Solar Cycle Studies 1998-2002 project are covered in this calendar.

The Calendar, with basic explanations, has in the past often been printed in the Information Bulletin. Given the large volume of the present issue, we give here instead the Web addresses where the complete Calendar and all explanatory files can be found and downloaded: