EAS News
The word from the President
Roger Davies

The EAS Council meets virtually several times each year and twice a year in person, at the annual meeting and in the winter. I was delighted to host the Council earlier this month in Oxford along with representatives of the Affiliated Societies who joined for our, mostly online, business meeting. Much of the content of our discussions is reported in this Newsletter. I announced at the General Assembly in Krakow that I would be stepping down as President at the Padova meeting, before the end of my second term. In this circumstance our constitution requires the Council to elect an Interim President to complete the term. I am delighted to report that the Council has selected Sara Lucatello of INAF Osservatorio Astronomico di Padova to serve as Interim President until 2026. It has been an enormous honour to serve as your President for seven years but it is time for new leadership and I wish Sara every success in the role and hope she enjoys it as much as I have. Read more


Interim President and upcoming elections call for candidates

Following the resignation of Roger Davies as Council President before the end of his term, as announced during the GA 2023 in Krakow, as well as meeting the requirements of the EAS constitution, the Council has appointed Sara Lucatello of INAF Osservatorio Astronomico di Padova to complete the term and serve as Interim President until 2026. Sara will take up duty at the General Assembly 2024 in Padova. After this period regular elections for new Council President will be held in line with the EAS constitution. Read more


HERA 2024: WE Heraeus-EAS Early Career Researchers Workshop

The European Astronomical Society extends an invitation to early-career scientists, defined here as those with less than 5 years post-PhD experience (including PhD students who are close to defending their theses), and who are affiliated with European Research Institutes and Universities, to submit their applications for the next HERA workshop, scheduled on Sept. 15-20, 2024 in Athens, Greece. This year is under the theme: "The Nature and Dynamics of Structures, Observed in Galactic Discs". Read more


EAS 2023 Annual Meeting 2023 in Kraków

Last annual meeting in Poland was a great success, with roughly 1600 astronomers attendees, over 1400 of which attended in person in Kraków. It was a very full week with presentations of outstanding results from the groundbreaking instruments, accompanied by important scientific meetings and community engagement events. Participants could hear the news about development and operation of the world's largest observatories as: SKAO, VLBI, Euclid, JWST, ALMA, Gaia. We could learn: how to put the Universe in a box, Astrochemistry, Hubble tension, Multi-dimensional simulations of star interiors, Black holes and planets in our Galaxy, and the importance of hands-on sessions in developing countries. Read more


EAS 2024 Annual meeting, Padova, 1-5 July 2024

We invite all members to participate in the upcoming EAS Annual Meeting 2024 which will be held at the Padova Congress, Padova, Italy. Over 150 expressions of interest to organize a session were received. The SOC, co-chaired by Bianca Poggianti from INAF - Astronomical Observatory Padova, and Giuseppina Micela from INAF - Astronomical Observatory of Palermo, have selected the Symposia, Special, and Lunch sessions to take place during the meeting. Registration and abstract submission will open by the end of January.


Raising funds for African Astronomers travelling to IAU

The XXXII General Assembly of the International Astronomical Union will take place in Cape Town, South Africa, from August 6 to 15, 2024. This is the first time that the meeting is hosted in the African continent. Astronomy is a burgeoning scientific discipline in Africa, with active teaching and research in many countries. However, limited funding poses challenges, especially for students and early-career researchers who may lack resources to attend professional conferences. Recognising the transformative impact of participating in such events, the Large Synoptic Survey Telescope Discovery Alliance, in collaboration with the African Astronomical Society and the National Organizing Committee of the IAU General Assembly is raising funds to support African astronomers to attend the IAU General Assembly in their ow Read more


Strengthening Africa-Europe collaborations
AfAS-EAS special session

Building on the momentum of sessions in four of the last six EAS Annual Meetings, an AfAS-EAS special session will be organised at the AfAS-2024 conference from 15 to 20 April in Marrakech (Morocco). It aims at highlighting and expanding the reciprocal relationship between African and European astronomical communities. It will be attended by two EAS Councillors and we encourage other EAS members to attend the meeting.


Zero Debris charter

The Zero Debris Charter is a collaborative effort led by the European Space Agency (ESA) and involves over 40 space stakeholders, including the European Astronomical Society. Released to address escalating risks associated with the increase of space debris orbiting around the Earth, the charter also recognizes the impact on dark and quiet skies, particularly significant for ground-based astronomical infrastructures. The charter outlines principles and actions to prevent and mitigate space debris and establishes guiding principles to reduce adverse effects of debris on the environment and on the night sky. By bringing together a diverse community of space stakeholders, including industry, government agencies, international organizations, universities, and non-profit foundations, the charter conveys a commit Read more


About the EAS and the e-Newsletter

The European Astronomical Society (EAS) is a society of professional astronomers founded in 1990 and aiming at promoting and advancing astronomy in Europe. Its contact point is the EAS Office, located at the University of Geneva, Switzerland.

Started in 2016, the e-Newsletter is a prime communication tool between the society and its members, and it is issued three to four times per year.

If you would like to contribute, please contact Agata Różańska (CAMK PAN, Poland), the EAS e-Newsletter editor.

Composition of the EAS Council

President:
Roger Davies, UK
Vice-President:
Sara Lucatello, Italy
Lex Kaper, The Netherlands
Secretary:
vacant
Treasurer:
Nick Kylafis, Greece
Councillors:
Nabila Aghanim, France
Antoaneta Antonova, Bulgaria
Jarle Brinchmann, Portugal
Andreas Burkert, Germany
Agata Różańska, Poland
Andreja Gomboc, Slovenia
Mariya Lyubenova, Germany
Executive Secretary:
Marc Audard, Switzerland