Astronomical Society of Australia
Encyclopedia
The Astronomical Society of Australia (ASA) is the professional body representing astronomer
s in Australia
. Established in 1966, it is incorporated
in the Australian Capital Territory
. Membership of the ASA is open to people "capable of contributing to the advancement of astronomy or a closely related field". This means that the members are mainly active professional astronomers and postgraduate students. Some retired astronomers and distinguished amateur astronomers
are also members, and several organisations are corporate members of the Society. The ASA currently has around 400 members. It publishes a peer-reviewed journal, Publications of the Astronomical Society of Australia.
was its first Vice-President.
The ASA is Trustee of the Foundation for the Advancement of Astronomy (FAA), a tax-deductible foundation intended to enhance the ASA's efforts to promote astronomy and related fields in Australia, and to recognise and support excellence in those fields. The purposes of the FAA are very broadly defined, allowing its support of prizes, scholarships, research and facilities.
-listed, fully refereed journal for new and significant research in astrophysics, which is published on behalf of the Society by CSIRO Publishing.
Astronomer
An astronomer is a scientist who studies celestial bodies such as planets, stars and galaxies.Historically, astronomy was more concerned with the classification and description of phenomena in the sky, while astrophysics attempted to explain these phenomena and the differences between them using...
s in Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
. Established in 1966, it is incorporated
Incorporation (business)
Incorporation is the forming of a new corporation . The corporation may be a business, a non-profit organisation, sports club, or a government of a new city or town...
in the Australian Capital Territory
Australian Capital Territory
The Australian Capital Territory, often abbreviated ACT, is the capital territory of the Commonwealth of Australia and is the smallest self-governing internal territory...
. Membership of the ASA is open to people "capable of contributing to the advancement of astronomy or a closely related field". This means that the members are mainly active professional astronomers and postgraduate students. Some retired astronomers and distinguished amateur astronomers
Amateur astronomy
Amateur astronomy, also called backyard astronomy and stargazing, is a hobby whose participants enjoy watching the night sky , and the plethora of objects found in it, mainly with portable telescopes and binoculars...
are also members, and several organisations are corporate members of the Society. The ASA currently has around 400 members. It publishes a peer-reviewed journal, Publications of the Astronomical Society of Australia.
History
At its establishment in 1966, notable astronomer Ben GascoigneBen Gascoigne
Sidney Charles Bartholemew "Ben" Gascoigne AO was a New Zealand-born Australian optical astronomer and expert in photometry who played a leading role in the design and commissioning of Australia's largest optical telescope, one of the world's most important astronomical facilities...
was its first Vice-President.
Activities
The Society currently has two topical interest groups:- the Australian National Institute for Theoretical Astrophysics (ANITA), a virtual institute which aims to raise the profile of Australian theoretical astrophysics.
- the Education and Public Outreach Committee (EPOC), dedicated to advancing the level of public awareness of astronomy.
The ASA is Trustee of the Foundation for the Advancement of Astronomy (FAA), a tax-deductible foundation intended to enhance the ASA's efforts to promote astronomy and related fields in Australia, and to recognise and support excellence in those fields. The purposes of the FAA are very broadly defined, allowing its support of prizes, scholarships, research and facilities.
Professional publications
The ASA's journal is the Publications of the Astronomical Society of Australia (PASA). It is an ISIInstitute for Scientific Information
The Institute for Scientific Information was founded by Eugene Garfield in 1960. It was acquired by Thomson Scientific & Healthcare in 1992, became known as Thomson ISI and now is part of the Healthcare & Science business of the multi-billion dollar Thomson Reuters Corporation.ISI offered...
-listed, fully refereed journal for new and significant research in astrophysics, which is published on behalf of the Society by CSIRO Publishing.
External links
- Official ASA website: information for the professional astronomy community.
- Astronomy Australia website: information on astronomy in Australia for the amateur astronomy community and the general public.