European Astronomical Society
e-Newsletter  28
February 2026

Turning to recent Society activities, the Council had a very productive start to the year, meeting in Munich this past January for our regular meeting and a dedicated session with our Affiliated Societies. Among the participants, we were particularly pleased to welcome, for the first time, the representative of the newly formed Belgian Astronomical Society. A primary focus of our discussions was the draft of the new EAS Vision Document, which outlines the strategic direction of our Society for the coming years. We received valuable input from the Affiliated Societies and are currently incorporating their feedback. Once this revision is complete, we will open a consultation period for the entire membership.

In February, the EAS delegation was also active at the UN COPUOS Scientific and Technical Subcommittee in Vienna, where we continued our strong advocacy for the protection of Dark and Quiet Skies.

Looking ahead, in the coming months you will see some changes in the visual identity - including an overhaul of the website and this newsletter - as part of the Society's comprehensive rebranding process. Finally, preparations for our annual meeting are in full swing. I am pleased to announce that the scientific program for EAS 2026 in Lausanne is now online. Abstract submission is officially open, as is the application process for financial support. I urge you to review the deadlines and details provided below.

We are building a fantastic programme, and I look forward to seeing many of you in Switzerland this summer. See you in Lausanne!

The EAS was still a young society during Joachim's presidency. The administrative duties were cared for at the ISDC (INTEGRAL Science Data Centre) within the University of Geneva. The aim of the Society was and still is to federate European astronomy from Lisbon to Vladivostok and thus to overcome the weakness caused by national fragmentation. Joachim actively contributed to this aim leading the organisation of JENAM, the joint meetings of the EAS with a national society, in Western as well as Eastern locations, from Porto to Armenia. In 2009 the EAS meetings, JENAM, gained a new identity as EWASS, the European Week of Astronomy and Space Science. This represented a major step in the strengthening of the Society.

As president of the EAS, Joachim developed contact with the Klaus Tschira foundation and obtained financial support that allowed the establishment in 2008 of the EAS Tycho Brahe price, medal nowadays, which recognises the outstanding European exploitation or development of European instruments leading to major discoveries.

The EAS is most grateful for Joachim's contribution to its consolidation at a time when centrifugal forces could have endangered the birth of a strong European voice within the world astronomy community.

Abstracts will be reviewed by the scientific organisers of the various Symposia and Special/Lunch Sessions. E-posters will be in interactive format, accessible online and on screens at the conference. They will be available for browsing even before the event, making it easy to discover interesting work of colleagues in advance and without the rush of the onsite days.

Notification of acceptance will be sent in mid-April 2026.

In order to widen the participation to our annual meeting, the EAS provides support for a limited number of students and researchers open to all attendees. Astronomers from all countries, invited speakers, contributed speakers or ePoster presenters, can request a fee waiver, and/or coverage/reimbursement of hotel costs and/or travel costs, sponsored by our organization members, the MERAC Foundation and Springer, and by a Scientific Exchange grant from the Swiss National Science Foundation.

You can now apply for registration fee waivers and/or grants! The deadline for applying is the same as for the abstract submission (3 March 2026).

A focal point of the Society's participation was the high-level side event held on 10 February, titled "Dark and Quiet Skies: From Science to Policy". Organized by UNOOSA, the panel featured President Sara Lucatello alongside UNOOSA Director Aarti Holla-Maini, Federico di Vruno (SKAO), Ambassador Alex Wetzig (Chile), and a virtual intervention by Brian Cox.

In her address, President Sara Lucatello underscored the profound importance of astronomy to humanity. She illustrated how the "oldest science" is not only a cultural cornerstone that answers fundamental questions about our origins but also a driver of critical modern technologies, arguing that preserving the skies is therefore not just an astronomical imperative, but a necessity for sustaining both our technological infrastructure and our cultural heritage.

Beyond the side event, the EAS delegation delivered a formal statement during the STSC plenary session. The statement highlighted the urgent need for coordinated international regulations to mitigate the disruptive impact of optical and radio interference on scientific observation, ensuring that the exploration of space remains sustainable for future generations.

Roger Blandford - Kavli Institute for Particle Astrophysics and Cosmology, Stanford, USA,

Monika Mościbrodzka - Radboud University, Nijmegen, Netherlands,

Vladimir Karas - Astronomical Institute of the Czech Academy of Sciences, Prague, Czech Republic,

Samaya Nissanke - DESY, DZA and the University of Potsdam, Germany,

Marek Abramowicz - N. Copernicus Astronomical Center, PAS, Warsaw, Poland.

The EAS will soon circulate an announcement to all affiliated societies, with the invitation and information concerning registration. Each society is encouraged to distribute this opportunity for early-career researchers internally. Looking ahead, we have already started with the preparation of HERA27, which will take place in the Institute of Astronomy at the University of Cambridge, UK.

Today, we would like to draw your attention to: Special Session (SS19) at the EAS2026 Annual Meeting in Lausanne, dedicated to EDI's common challenges. The session will take place on Friday July 3rd. Everybody is welcome to participate. Please, take a look at the detailed program.

EAS EDI - IAU WiA Initiative for International Women's Day (8 March 2026) As part of the ongoing collaboration between the EAS EDI AC and the IAU Women in Astronomy (WiA) - Working Group, we invite community members and Science Project PIs to celebrate International Women's Day by submitting a short video (up to 3 minutes) along with a brief paragraph (maximum 10 lines, including a relevant link) highlighting policies or initiatives that promote gender equality, inclusivity, diversity, and the career advancement of women in astronomy. Please upload your videos here, or send them at iauwia2124 @ gmail.com. Please upload your text here. The deadline for uploading your material is 1st March 2026.

At the EAS 2026 Lausanne meeting, we are excited to host the Special Session SS40, "Next steps towards greener astronomy". This session aims to foster a collaborative space where we can all share sustainable practices, insights, challenges, and potential solutions. We invite all the members of the community to join us in this open dialogue and send contributions. For more information, please take a look on the detailed session program.

ArAS supports scientific exchange and career development through the organisation of Annual Meetings, conferences, and specialised schools, with particular attention to early-career researchers. One of its key educational activities is the biennial Byurakan International Summer School (BISS), which has been internationally recognised as one of the leading astronomy schools worldwide. The society also supports early-career astronomers through awards and certificates, most notably the ArAS Annual Prize for Young Astronomers (Yervant Terzian Prize), as well as by facilitating participation in international conferences, schools, and training programmes. Armenian students and early-career astronomers regularly participate in major international programmes, supported and coordinated by ArAS.

Communication within the community is ensured through the electronic newsletter ArASNews, published since 2002, which serves as the main information channel for the Armenian astronomy community. ArAS is actively involved in public outreach and science communication. It organises public lectures, school-based educational programmes in cooperation with the Ministry of Education, and youth-focused initiatives aimed at fostering interest in astronomy from an early age. The society produces Armenian-language popular science content through its online journal.

The society also engages with broader societal and cultural dimensions of astronomy, particularly in the fields of Archaeoastronomy and Astronomy in Culture (AAC), in coordination with international initiatives led by organisations such as UNESCO and the International Astronomical Union. ArAS maintains strong links with amateur astronomers and encourages pro-am collaboration through shared outreach activities and dedicated platforms.

At the international level, ArAS is an affiliated society of the European Astronomical Society and is recognised by the International Astronomical Olympiads (IAO), International Planetary Data Alliance (IPDA) and the Euro-Asian Astronomical Society (EAAS).

The main goal of the new society is to promote research, to connect professional astronomers, and to represent BeAS in international organizations. The membership campaign that followed the creation of the society was a great success, with 130 applications quickly received, including from PhD students and post-docs. The next steps now involve collecting membership fees, creating a logo, setting up projects and a calendar of activities, and holding the first general meeting, scheduled for June 2026.

The EAS Council formally approved the Belgian Astronomical Society as an affiliated society.