IAU COMMISSION 50
Protection of Existing and Potential Observatory Sites
President: Dr. Jim Cohen (UK)
Vice President: Dr. Malcolm Smith (Chile)
Organizing Committee: Dr. Carlo Blanco (Italy), Dr. Dave Crawford (USA), Dr. Magarita Metaxa (Greece), Prof. Syuzo Isobe (Japan), Dr. Bob Stobie (South Africa), Dr. Michelle Storey (Australia), Prof. Woody Sullivan (USA) (Past President);
Consultant: Duco Schreuder (Netherlands)
Observation is the lifeblood of astronomy. Nowadays astronomers observe the Universe at all wavelengths, across the entire electromagnetic spectrum. But increasingly the view is cluttered by human-generated interference of different kinds, such as light pollution, radio interference and space debris. Commission 50, which was established in 1973, has as its mission the protection of existing and potential observatory sites on the Earth and in space.