The IAU Resolutions Committee has approved the proposals of the four Resolutions that will be presented for voting at the virtual Business Sessions in August this year. The Business Sessions would normally take place during the General Assembly, but the XXXI GA has been postponed to 2022 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The Business Sessions will go ahead separately, in virtual format, on Monday 23 and Thursday 26 August 2021.

The resolutions are as follows:

• Resolution B1 in support of the protection of geodetic radio astronomy against radio frequency interference.
• Resolution B2 on the improvement of the Earth’s rotation theories and models.
• Resolution B3 on the Gaia Celestial Reference Frame.
• Resolution B4 on the use of a standard photometric system in ultraviolet (UV) astronomy.

Resolution B1 is related to the IAU’s ongoing efforts to preserve dark and quiet skies for the protection of the science of astronomy. The other three resolutions seek to establish and improve standards and reference frames, to facilitate cooperation in astronomy research.

Individual and Junior Members will have the opportunity to vote on the resolutions electronically after they have been presented at the Business Sessions. The voting will open on 26 August 2021 and close on 10 September.

The texts of the four resolutions can be accessed via the links above. All IAU members have the opportunity to comment on the Resolutions through Slack.

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 Resolutions

Contacts

Sergei A. Klioner
Chair IAU Resolutions Committee
Email: Sergei.Klioner@tu-dresden.de 

Madeleine Smith-Spanier
Database Manager
Paris, France
Tel: +33 1 43 25 83 58
Email: smith@iap.fr   

Lars Lindberg Christensen
IAU Press Officer
Cell: +49 173 38 72 621
Email: lars.christensen@noirlab.edu