[meteorite-list] New IAU Journal for Astronomy Communicators Goes Live

From: Ron Baalke <baalke_at_meteoritecentral.com>
Date: Fri, 26 Oct 2007 16:58:09 -0700 (PDT)
Message-ID: <200710262358.QAA11683_at_zagami.jpl.nasa.gov>

http://www.iau.org/iau0701.483.0.html

IAU0701:

New journal for astronomy communicators goes live!

26 October 2007, Munich: In response to an increasing need among the
growing community of astronomy communicators, the International
Astronomical Union is today announcing the advent of a new journal
called "Communicating Astronomy with the Public Journal". Subscriptions
to print and online versions are free of charge to communicators.

A new peer-reviewed journal released today by the IAU will provide
astronomy communicators with important tools and innovative resources to
communicate more effectively the workings of the Universe to the public.

IAU President Catherine Cesarsky says "We are pleased to announce the
first issue of the Communicating Astronomy with the Public Journal. The
IAU is strongly dedicated to improving the global level of astronomy
education and outreach."

The journal provides astronomy communicators with a mix of resources,
opinion and information on how to communicate more effectively to the
general public the workings of the Universe. As Pedro Russo,
Editor-In-Chief of the journal, explains, the CAP journal has an
important aim: "As the astronomy education and public outreach community
expands globally, it becomes increasingly important to establish a
community of science communication experts."

President of IAU Commission 55 Communicating Astronomy with the Public,
Ian Robson: "Astronomy has an innate appeal to people of all ages,
partly because it concerns the fascinating great questions 'of life, the
Universe and everything' and partly because many of the data obtained
with telescopes can be presented as objects of stunning beauty.
Astronomy is a great example of how fascinating physics can be."

Science communicators are encouraged to submit their own articles for
publication explains Russo. "Public communication of astronomy is a
burgeoning field of science communication. We would like to see the
astronomy outreach community deeply involved in this journal's evolution
and production."

The journal will be published quarterly for free in print and online. It
will act as a repository of ideas for astronomy communicators; for
example in use with activities as part of the International Year of
Astronomy 2009 which will be a global celebration of astronomy and its
contributions to society and culture. Pedro Russo, also IAU Coordinator
for the International Year of Astronomy 2009, explains "The next few
years will be extremely important for astronomy communication and
education. The International Year of Astronomy 2009 will serve as a
unique platform to inform the public about the latest discoveries in
astronomy."

The first two issues are sponsored by the European Space Agency, the
International Astronomical Union, Instituto de Astrof?sica de Canarias
(Spain) and ESO.

Free subscription forms and the online version of the journal can be
found at www.capjournal.org


###

 

Notes for editors
The CAP Journal is published by the IAU DIVISION XII Commission 55
Communicating Astronomy with the Public
(http://www.communicatingastronomy.org). The journal is divided into
nine main sections. The "Research & Applications" section contains
peer-reviewed science communication 'research" articles. "News" and
"Announcements" present information and updates, such as conference
reports from the astronomy outreach community. "Resources" and
"Innovation" provide a repository of outreach ideas and cutting-edge
astronomy communication methods respectively. "Best Practices" aims to
be a guide, containing case studies, to the techniques that work best in
communicating astronomy. "Opinion" provides space for subjective
discussions of topics related to astronomy communication.

The IAU is the international astronomical organisation that brings
together almost 10,000 distinguished astronomers from all nations of the
world. Its mission is to promote and safeguard the science of astronomy
in all its aspects through international cooperation. The IAU also
serves as the internationally recognized authority for assigning
designations to celestial bodies and any surface features on them.
Founded in 1919, the IAU is the world's largest professional body for
astronomers.

The International Year of Astronomy 2009 (IYA2009) will be a global
celebration of astronomy and its contributions to society and culture.
It will stimulate worldwide interest not only in astronomy, but in
science in general, with a particular appeal for young people. IYA2009
will portray astronomy as a peaceful global scientific endeavour that
unites astronomers in an international, multicultural family of
scientists working together to find answers to some of the most
fundamental questions that humankind has ever asked.

For more information, please contact:

Editor-In-Chief/IAU IYA2009 Coordinator
Pedro Russo
ESO/ESA/ST-ECF
Karl-Schwarzschild-Strasse 2
D-85748 Garching bei M?nchen
Germany
Tel: +49 89 320 06 195
Fax: +49 89 320 23 62
E-mail: prusso at eso.org

IAU Press Officer/Secretary of IAU Commission 55
Lars Lindberg Christensen
ESA/Hubble, Garching, Germany
Tel: +49-89-32-00-63-06
Cellular: +49-173-3872-621
E-mail: lars at eso.org
Received on Fri 26 Oct 2007 07:58:09 PM PDT