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Under One Sky: The IAU Centenary Symposium (IAU S349)

Christiaan Sterken editor John Hearnshaw editor David Valls-Gabaud editor

Format:Hardback

Publisher:Cambridge University Press

Published:25th Apr '19

Currently unavailable, and unfortunately no date known when it will be back

Under One Sky: The IAU Centenary Symposium (IAU S349) cover

Presents a broad organisational history of the International Astronomical Union, the world's foremost body in the astronomical sciences.

The IAU Centenary Symposium is a broad organisational history, with plenary lectures, reminiscences from past IAU presidents and general secretaries, presentations on famous astronomers who served the Union, the relations between the IAU and various geographical regions through the last century, and trends in astronomical publishing and education.The IAU Centenary Symposium was held at its General Assembly in Vienna in 2018. It starts with plenary lectures, by Malcolm Longair on 100 years of astronomy, astrophysics and cosmology, and by Catherine Cesarsky, who reflects on a century of IAU history. There follows reminiscences from past IAU presidents and general secretaries and presentations on various aspects of IAU history, including some of the famous astronomers who served the Union. The volume then examines the relations between the IAU and different geographical regions, including the issues relating to the Central Powers after World War I, and the 'China crisis', when China withdrew from the Union in 1960 and was absent for two decades. The IAU's internal structures and organization are reviewed, along with trends in astronomical publishing and astronomical education. IAU S349 finishes with a vision of the IAU's future from its current president, Ewine van Dishoeck.

'… its own history occupied one plenary session … and one symposium, though scraps of history wormed their way into a supernova session and elsewhere …' Virginia Trimble, The Observatory Magazine
'Under One Sky is primarily a publication celebrating the centenary of the IAU and only secondarily a serious contribution to the organizational history of the astronomical sciences. On the other hand, it includes a wealth of biographical and other information as well as several chapters that will be of interest to historians of modern astronomy.' Helge Kragh, Journal for the History of Astronomy

ISBN: 9781108471596

Dimensions: 255mm x 180mm x 25mm

Weight: 1030g

554 pages