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The Thirteenth General Assembly of the International Astronomical Union

1967; Institute of Physics; Volume: 79; Linguagem: Inglês

10.1086/128553

1538-3873

J. Smak,

History and Developments in Astronomy

Zlata Praha Golden Prague was the host town of the Thirteenth General Assembly of the International Astronomical Union which took place between August 22 and August 31, 1967. Over 2800 astronomers, invited guests, and members of their families came to the capital of Czechoslovakia, thus setting a new impressive record of attendance, nearly twice as large as at the previous one, in Hamburg, in 1964. This, perhaps, was the most obvious feature of the Prague meeting. The International Astronomical Union is expanding at an unprecedented rate: the number of its members is growing, the field of scientific activities it covers is becoming larger, the ties with other branches of science are stronger than ever before. For these reasons it may soon become impossible to retain the present structure of the Union and, in particular, to adhere to its present principle of having the meetings of the General Assembly once every three years. From a purely scientific point of view it is quite clear that much smaller and more specialized meetings, such as symposia and colloquia, are relatively more profitable and what is important much easier to organize. On the other hand, however, it is the unique feature of the meeting of the General Assembly that it gives an opportunity to all astronomers to meet together and to maintain and strengthen relations between the different branches of astronomy. This general feeling of unity was, perhaps, another obvious feature of the Prague meeting, enjoyed greatly by all participants. The inaugural ceremony took place on August 22 at 10:15 a.m. in the Congress Hall of the Julius Fucik Park of Culture and Recreation. Following the official opening by the president of the IAU, Professor Pol Swings, the audience listened to J. V. H. Vorisek's Symphony in D-Major, one of the masterpieces of Bohemian music of the first part of the 19th century; performed by the Prague Chamber Orchestra it received warm applause. Frantisek Krajcir, Acting Prime Minister of the Czechoslovak So-