The International Astronomical Union is a non-governmental organisation with the objective of advancing astronomy in all aspects, including promoting astronomical research, outreach, education, and development through global cooperation. It was founded in 1919 and is based in Paris, France.
Willem Hendrik van den Bos was a Dutch astronomer who worked at the Union Observatory in South Africa and became its director in 1941. He discovered nearly 3000 new double stars, made more than 71000 astronomical measurements and compiled a catalogue of Southern hemisphere double stars. He computed the orbits of more than 100 double stars using a method he invented and which later became the accepted standard.
South African Astronomical Observatory (SAAO) is the national centre for optical and infrared astronomy in South Africa. It was established in 1972. The observatory is run by the National Research Foundation of South Africa. The facility's function is to conduct research in astronomy and astrophysics. The primary telescopes are located in Sutherland, which is 370 kilometres (230 mi) from Observatory, Cape Town, where the headquarters is located.
The International Year of Astronomy (IYA2009) was a year-long celebration of astronomy that took place in 2009 to coincide with the 400th anniversary of the first recorded astronomical observations with a telescope by Galileo Galilei and the publication of Johannes Kepler's Astronomia nova in the 17th century. The Year was declared by the 62nd General Assembly of the United Nations. A global scheme, laid out by the International Astronomical Union (IAU), was also endorsed by UNESCO, the UN body responsible for educational, scientific, and cultural matters.
Grace Naledi Mandisa Pandor is a South African politician, educator and academic serving as the Minister of International Relations and Cooperation since 2019. She has served as a Member of Parliament (MP) for the African National Congress (ANC) since 1994.
The Minister of International Relations and Cooperation is the foreign minister of the South African government, with political responsibility for South Africa's foreign relations and the Department of International Relations and Cooperation. The present minister is Naledi Pandor, who was appointed by President Cyril Ramaphosa on 29 May 2019.
The Ghana Space Science and Technology Institute (GSSTI) was opened officially on 2 May 2012 as Ghana’s first space science, space exploration, astronomy and technology space agency. It is an Institution under the Ghana Atomic Energy Commission. GSSTI and Ghana Space Agency (GhSA) aim to become an arena of excellence in space science, space exploration and space technology through teaching, learning, private spaceflight and space research commercialisation. The centre and space agency will also allow scientists and astronauts to conduct research into astrophysics, remote sensing, natural resource management, weather forecasting, agriculture and national security.
The Edinburgh Medal is a scientific medal given at the Edinburgh International Science Festival since 1989. The Edinburgh Medal is an award given each year to men and women recognized for their contributions to science and technology and whose professional achievements have made a significant contribution to the understanding and well-being of humanity. It was instituted by the City of Edinburgh Council in 1988 and has been presented at the Edinburgh International Science Festival since 1989. Each year the recipient attends an awards ceremony and delivers an address at the Festival.
George Kildare Miley is an Irish-Dutch astronomer. He holds a professorship at Leiden University, where he served as director of Leiden Observatory from 1996 to 2003.
Kevin Govender is the director of The Office of Astronomy for Development and the joint recipient of the Edinburgh Medal together with the International Astronomical Union (IAU). The award was presented in recognition of the creation and practical establishment of the IAU Office of Astronomy for Development.
Renée C. Kraan-Korteweg is a Dutch-South African scientist.
Professor Patricia Ann Whitelock is a British-born astrophysicist with dual British-South African nationality. She is a Fellow of the Royal Society of South Africa ; a member of the Academy of Science of South Africa; and a member of the South African Institute of Physics (SAIP),.
Carolina Ödman-Govender was a Swiss physicist and academic who was Professor of Astrophysics at South Africa's University of the Western Cape. She was awarded the 2018 International Astronomical Union Special Executive Committee Award for Astronomy Outreach, Development and Education.
María Luisa Aguilar Hurtado, was the first professional astronomer of Peru. She studied at the Institute of Mathematics and Physics of the National University of San Marcos in Lima, Peru. She graduated as an astronomer from the National University of La Plata, Argentina. In 1981, motivated to develop astronomy at a professional level, she founded and served as director of the "Astronomy and Astrophysics Seminar", nowadays called "Permanent Astronomy and Space Sciences Seminar" of the National University of San Marcos.
WASP-62, formally named Naledi, is a single star about 573 light-years away. It is an F class main-sequence star, orbited by a planet, WASP-62b. The age of WASP-62 is much younger than the Sun at 0.8±0.6 billion years, and it has a metal abundance similar to the Sun.
The Ethiopian Space Science and Technology Institute (ESSTI) is an Ethiopian institute for research, training and infrastructure development in space science, created in 2016.
