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CHAPTER VIII: DIVISIONS, COMMISSIONS, AND WORKING GROUPS

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  25 March 2025

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Abstract

Type
Transactions Meeting Report
Copyright
© The Author(s), 2025. Published by Cambridge University Press on behalf of International Astronomical Union

DIVISIONS

The 9 scientific Divisions are the soul of the Union. They represent the grass roots efforts of the Union and encompass every branch of the astronomical endeavour. Divisions may have Commissions, and Divisions and Commissions may have Working Groups.

Division A: Fundamental Astronomy

Division B: Facilities, Technologies and Data Science

Division C: Education, Outreach and Heritage

Division D: High Energy Phenomena and Fundamental Physics

Division E: Sun and Heliosphere

Division F: Planetary System and Astrobiology

Division G: Stars and Stellar Physics

Division H: Interstellar Matter and Local Universe

Division J: Galaxies and Cosmology

The following provides the Division leadership as well as the Commissions and Working Groups.

1. Division A - Fundamental Astronomy

This Division has one inter-division and one cross-division Commissions, and two inter-divisional Working Groups.

President: Daniel Hestroffer

Vice-President: Norbert Zacharias

Its steering committee is composed by the following members of the Union:

Elisa Arias

Alessandra Celletti (Commission A4 President)

William Folkner (Commission X2 President)

Ralph Gaume

James Hilton (Commission A3 President)

Anne Lemaitre

Andrzej Maciejewski

Benot Noyelles (Secretary)

Fernando Roig

Florian Seitz (Commission A2 President)

Jean Souchay (Commission A1 President)

Bonnie Steves

Commissions

A1 Astrometry

A2 Rotation of the Earth

A3 Fundamental Standards

A-F Celestial Mechanics and Dynamical Astronomy

A-F Solar System Ephemerides

Working Groups

Astrometry by Small Ground-Based Telescopes

Multi-waveband International Celestial Reference Frame (optical+VLBI)

Time Metrology Standards

A-F Cartographic Coordinates & Rotational Elements

A-F Near Earth Objects

2. Division B - Facilities, Technologies and Data Science

This Division has two inter-division Commissions, and one inter-divisional Working Group.

President: Michael Burton

Vice-President: Gabriele Giovannini

Its steering committee is composed by the following members of the Union:

Anthony Beasley (Commission B4 President)

Dmitrij Bisikalo (Commission B1 President)

Helen Fraser (Commission B5 President)

Ana Gomez de Castro

Antonio Mario Magalhaes (Commission B6 President)

Anja Schroeder (Commission B2 President)

Prajval Shastri (Commission B3 President)

Wenwu TIAN

Pietro Ubertini (Advisor)

Jan van der Hulst

Constance Walker (Commission B7 President)

Yongtian ZHU

Commissions

B1 Computational Astrophysics

B2 Data and Documentation

B3 Astroinformatics and Astrostatistics

B4 Radio Astronomy

B5 Laboratory Astrophysics

B6 Astronomical Photometry and Polarimetry

B7 Protection of Existing and Potential Observatory Sites

Working Groups

Time Domain Astronomy

UV Astronomy

Virtual Observatory

B-E Coordination of Synoptic Observations of the Sun

3. Division C - Education, Outreach and Heritage

This Division has one inter-division Commission, and one inter-divisional Working Group.

President: Susana Deustua

Vice-President: Richard de Grijs

Its steering committee is composed by the following members of the Union:

Paulo Bretones (Commission C1 President)

Richard Fienberg (Commission C2 President)

Pamela Gay

R. Elizabeth Griffin

Saeko HAYASHI (Secretary)

Mary Hemenway (Advisor)

Katrien Kolenberg

Wayne Orchiston

Mirjana Povic

José M. Rodriguez Espinosa

Gudrun Wolfschmidt (Commission C4 President)

Commissions

C1 Astronomy Education and Development

C2 Communicating Astronomy with the Public

C3 History of Astronomy

C4 World Heritage and Astronomy

Working Groups

Key Initiatives in Education, Outreach and Development

Star Names

C, E Solar Eclipses

4. Division D - High Energy Phenomena and Fundamental Physics

This Division has one cross- and one inter-divisional Commissions.

President: Elena Pian

Vice-President: Isabelle Grenier

Its steering committee is composed by the following members of the Union:

Aya BAMBA

Matthew Baring

Dipankar Bhattacharya

Marica Branchesi (Commission D1 President)

Tadayasu DOTANI

Christine Jones (Commission X1 President)

Chryssa Kouveliotou (Advisor)

Anna Watts mittee Member (Secretary)

Silvia Zane

Commissions

D1 Gravitational Wave Astrophysics

D-J Supermassive Black Holes, Feedback and Galaxy Evolution

D-G-H-J Galaxy Spectral Energy Distributions

Working Groups

Supernovae

5. Division E - Sun and Heliosphere

This Division has one inter-division Commission, and two inter-divisional Working Groups.

President: Sarah Gibson

Vice-President: Cristina Mandrini

Its steering committee is composed by the following members of the Union:

Timothy Bastian

Paul Cally (Commission E2 President)

Mingde DING (Secretary)

Irina Kitiashvili

Eduard Kontar

Alexander Kosovichev (Commission E1 President)

Toshifumi SHIMIZU

Nandita Srivastava

Nicole Vilmer (Commission E3 President)

Yihua YAN (Advisor)

Commissions

E1 Solar Radiation and Structure

E2 Solar Activity

E3 Solar Impact Throughout the Heliosphere

E-F-G Impact of Magnetic Activity on Solar and Stellar Environments

Working Groups

B-E Coordination of Synoptic Observations of the Sun

C-E Solar Eclipses

6. Division F - Planetary System and Astrobiology

This Division has one cross- and one inter-divisional Commissions and two inter-divisional Working Groups.

President: Gonzalo Tancredi

Vice-President: Maria Barucci

Its steering committee is composed by the following members of the Union:

Athena Coustenis

Hans Deeg

Sylvio Ferraz-Mello

Nader Haghighipour Advisor

Kevin Heng

Diego Janches (Commission F1 President)

Jack Lissauer (Commission F2 President)

Masatoshi OHISHI (Commission F3 President)

Jean Schneider

Giovanni Valsecchi (Commission X2 Vice-President)

Dimitri Veras

Commissions

F1 Meteors, Meteorites and Interplanetary Dust

F2 Exoplanets and the Solar system

F3 Astrobiology

F4 Asteroids, Comets & Transneptunian Objects

E-F-G Impact of Magnetic Activity on Solar and Stellar Environments

A-F Solar System Ephemerides

Working Groups

A-F Cartographic Coordinates & Rotational Elements

A-F Near Earth Objects

7. Division G - Planetary System and Astrobiology

This Division has four inter-divisional Commissions and three Working Groups.

President: David Soderblom

Vice-President: Andrej Prsa

Its steering committee is composed by the following members of the Union:

Carlos Allende Prieto (Commission G5 President)

Tabetha Boyajian (Secretary)

Merieme Chadid

Corinne Charbonnel (Advisor)

Pierre Kervella

Heidi Korhonen

Jaymie Matthews (Commission G4 President)

Geraldine Peters

Marc Pinsonneault (Commission G3 President)

Virginia Trimble (Commission G1 President)

Jorick Vink (Commission G2 President)

Commissions

G1 Binary and Multiple Star Systems

G2 Massive Stars

G3 Stellar Evolution

G4 Pulsating Stars

G5 Stellar and Planetary Atmospheres

E-F-G Impact of Magnetic Activity on Solar and Stellar Environments

Working Groups

Active B Stars

Ap & Related Stars

Red Giants & Supergiants

8. Division H - Interstellar Matter and Local Universe

This Division has four inter-divisional Commissions one Working Group.

President: Leonardo Testi

Vice-President: Monica Rubio

Its steering committee is composed by the following members of the Union:

Pauline Barmby

Edwin Bergin (Commission H2 President)

Cristina Chiappini

Edvige Corbelli

Bruce Elmegreen (Advisor)

Amanda Karakas (Commission H4 President)

Francisca Kemper

Dante Minniti (Commission H1 President)

Eva Schinnerer

Laszlo Toth

Albert Zijlstra (Commission H3 President)

Commissions

H1 The Local Universe

H2 Astrochemistry

G-H Planetary Nebulae

G-H-J Stellar Clusters throughout Cosmic Space and Time

D-G-H-J Galaxy Spectral Energy Distributions

B-H-J Intergalactic Medium

Working Groups

The Galactic Center

9. Division J - Galaxies and Cosmology

This Division has one cross- and three inter-divisional Commissions.

President: Denis Burgarella

Vice-President: Kim-Vy Tran

Its steering committee is composed by the following members of the Union:

Gustavo Bruzual

Elisabete da Cunha

Valentina D’Odorico (Commission J2 President)

Leslie Hunt

Christine Jones (Commission X1 President)

Johan Knapen

Claus Leitherer (Advisor)

Jeremy Mould

Cristina Popescu (Commission J1 President)

Aida Wofford

Commissions

J3 Galaxies at the Epoch of Reionisation

D-J Supermassive Black Holes, Feedback and Galaxy Evolution

G-H-J Stellar Clusters throughout Cosmic Space and Time

D-G-H-J Galaxy Spectral Energy Distributions

B-H-J Intergalactic Medium

10. Executive Committee Working Groups

Astronomy for Equity and Inclusion

Dark and Quiet Sky Protection

Exoplanetary System Nomenclature (Functional)

Global Coordination of Ground and Space Astrophysics

Junior Members

Planetary System Nomenclature (WGPSN) (Functional)

Professional-Amateur Relations in Astronomy

Small Bodies Nomenclature (SBN) (Functional)

Women in Astronomy

11. Commission Working Groups

Consistent Realization of TRF, CRF and EOP (CRTCE) Commission A2

Improving Theories and Models of the Earth?s Rotation (ITMER) Commission A2

Designations & Nomenclature Commission B2 (Functional)

FITS Commission B2 (Functional)

Preservation and Digitization of Photographic Plates Commission B2 (Functional)

Global VLBI Alliance Commission B4

Spectroscopic and Radiative Data for Molecules Commission B5

Astronomy from the Moon Commission B7

Site Protection Commission B7

Astronomy Competitions for Secondary School Students Commission C1

Astronomy Education Research & Methods Commission C1

CAP Conferences Commission C2 (Functional)

Communicating Climate Change Through Astronomy Commission C2

Astronomical Heritage in Danger Commission C4

Windows to the Universe: Classical and Modern Observatories Commission C4

Meteor Shower Nomenclature (MSN-WG) Commission F1

12. Inter-Commission Working Groups

Laboratory Astrophysics Data Compilation, Validation and Standardization: from the Laboratory to FAIR Usage in the Astronomical Community Commission B2, Commission B5

Historical Radio Astronomy (Inter-Union IAU-URSI) Commission B4, Commission C3 (Functional)

Astronomy in Culture (WGAC) Commission C1, Commission C2, Commission C3, Commission C4

Ethnoastronomy and Intangible Astronomical Heritage Commission C1, Commission C3, Commission C4