Dwarf galaxies offer a valuable insight into the physical processes that govern galaxy formation and evolution at high redshift. These elusive stellar systems are helping astronomers to find answers to some of the most burning questions in extragalactic astronomy. Present-day dwarf galaxies, the easily studied survivors of the primordial galaxy population, are important targets for research in the quest to provide local benchmarks for cosmological studies, in particular theories of structure formation. The proceedings of IAUC198 offer an exciting multidisciplinary collection of research...

Near Earth Objects (NEOs), asteroids and comets, are the closest neighbors of the Earth-Moon system. They allow research not yet possible on more distant bodies. The IAU Symposium 236 focused on the specific observation and modeling techniques for NEOs, including radar, exploration by spacecraft, measurement of non-gravitational perturbations; also on the next generation surveys expected to increase a hundred-fold the NEO discovery rate. With data from first generation NEO surveys, we now understand how they formed and evolve, dynamically and physically, opening a window on the universal...

This volume presents papers concerning astronomy education and research in developing countries presented at a special session at the IAU 26th General Assembly in Prague. It gives a picture of the present state of astronomy in five major developing regions of the world: Latin America, Africa, Central Asia, the Far East and Eastern Europe. The book covers education and research, and also public outreach. New astronomy projects in developing countries are described, and initiatives to promote astronomy and space science from the UN and organizations other than the IAU are also covered. It...

Provides the most complete and up-to-date account of our understanding of the Magellanic Clouds and the astrophysical processes within them.

IAU S258 discusses the problem of estimating ages of stars and stellar populations, a difficult challenge in astrophysics.

A complete record of the formal organisational and administrative proceedings of the XXVII General Assembly of the International Astronomical Union.

IAU Symposium 269 celebrates the 400th anniversary of Galileo Galilei's discovery of the Medicean Moons, Jupiter's four largest satellites, exploring the impact his findings have had on science and the humanities. Galileo's instrumental discovery and his belief that the planets and moons in our Solar System could be habitable worlds encouraged a deeper understanding of our place in the Universe. Today, ongoing space missions to Jupiter's moons, our own Moon, Mars, Saturn, and Enceladus, reveal our continued fascination with the possibilities of alien life, but this time with a focus on...

A global overview of the links between astronomy and human culture, and how they might be developed in the future.

IAU Symposium 310 takes a broad look at the complexity of planetary systems, in terms of the formation and dynamical evolution of planets, their satellites, minor bodies and space debris, as well as to the habitability of exoplanets, in order to understand and model their physical processes. The main topics covered are diverse, including: studies of the rotation of planets and satellites, including their internal structures; the long term evolution of space debris and satellites; planetary and satellite migration mechanisms; and the role of the Yarkovsky effect on the evolution of the...

Highlights of Astronomy, Volume 16, summarizes the proceedings of the IAU XXVIII General Assembly held in Beijing, 20 31 August 2012, which brought together more than 2700 astronomers from 75 member countries. The wide range of topics cover the latest developments in almost every area of modern astronomy, including star formation, galaxies, the accelerating cosmos and dark energy, massive stars, high-energy emission in AGN, space-time reference systems, intergalactic magnetic fields, star-planet relations, the interstellar medium, data intensive astronomy, future large scale facilities, and...