Organizations and Strategies in Astronomy 7

1. Front Matter

   Pages I-XI

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2. EDITORIAL

   • ANDRÉ HECK

   Pages 1-12

3. BRITISH ASTRONOMY

   • PAUL MURDIN

   Pages 13-48

4. ASTRONOMY, ASTROPHYSICS AND SPACE PHYSICS IN GREECE

   • VASSILIS CHARMANDARIS

   Pages 49-69

5. ASTRONOMY IN UKRAINE

   • YA. V. PAVLENK, I.B. VAVILOVA, T. KOSTIUK

   Pages 71-96

6. FOCUSSING EUROPEAN ASTRONOMY – ESO’S IN THE ‘COMEBACK’ OF EUROPEAN ASTRONOMY

   • CATHERINE CESARSKY, CLAUS MADSEN

   Pages 97-113

7. THE INTERNATIONAL SPACE SCIENCE INSTITUTE (ISSI) - AN INTERVIEW WITH ROGER M. BONNET

   • ANDRÉ HECK

   Pages 115-124

8. THE INTERNATIONAL SPACE UNIVERSITY (ISU)

   • WALTER PEETERS

   Pages 125-153

9. EUROPLANET: EUROPEAN PLANETOLOGY NETWORK

   • M. BLANC

   Pages 155-170

10. RADIONET: ADVANCED RADIO ASTRONOMY ACROSS EUROPE

    • ALASTAIR G. GUNN

    Pages 171-180

11. SELECTING AND SCHEDULING OBSERVING PROPOSALS AT NRAO TELESCOPES

    • DAVID E. HOGG

    Pages 181-201

12. SELECTING AND SCHEDULING OBSERVATIONS AT THE IRAM OBSERVATORIES

    • MICHAEL GREWING

    Pages 203-225

13. SELECTING, SCHEDULING AND CARRYING OUT OBSERVING PROGRAMMES AT CFHT

    • CHRISTIAN VEILLET

    Pages 227-239

14. THE SCHOLARLY JOURNALS OF THE AMERICAN ASTRONOMICAL SOCIETY

    • ROBERT W. MILKEY

    Pages 241-261

15. MONTHLY NOTICES OF THE ROYAL ASTRONOMICAL SOCIETY

    • PAUL MURDIN

    Pages 263-272

16. ASTRONOMY & ASTROPHYSICS - A JOURNAL OF ASTRONOMERS FOR ASTRONOMERS

    • GEORGES MEYNET

    Pages 273-283

17. LISA – THE LIBRARY AND INFORMATION SERVICES IN ASTRONOMY CONFERENCES

    • BRENDA G. CORBIN, UTA GROTHKOPF

    Pages 285-306

18. THE ADS SUCCESS STORY – AN INTERVIEW WITH GUNTHER EICHHORNÜ

    • ANDRÉ HECK

    Pages 307-314

19. THE PROGRESSIVE WORLD PENETRATION OF THE STRASBOURG ASTRONOMICAL DATA CENTER (1970-1990)

    • ANDRÉ HECK

    Pages 315-354

20. THE GENESIS OF THE IAU WORKING GROUP ON ASTRONOMICAL DATA

    • GEORGE A. WILKINS

    Pages 355-366

Astronomy isthemostancientsciencehumanshavepracticedonEarth. Itisascienceofextremesandoflargenumbers:extremesoftime–fromthe big bang to in?nity –, of distances, of temperatures, of density and masses, ofmagnetic?eld,etc.Itisasciencewhichishighlyvisible,notonlybecause stars and planets are accessible in the sky to the multitude, but also - cause the telescopes themselves are easily distinguishable, usually on top of scenic mountains, and also because their cost usually represent a subst- tialproportionofthenation’sbudgetandofthetaxpayerscontributionsto that budget. As such, astronomy cannot pass unnoticed. It touches on the origins of matter, of the Universe where we live, on life and on our destiny. It touches on philosophy as well as on religion. Astronomy is the direct c- tactofhumankindwithitsoriginsandtheimmensityofuniversalnature.It is indeed a science of observation where experimentation is practically - possible and which is ruled by mathematics, physics, chemistry, statistical analysis and modelling, while o?ering the largest number of veri?cations of the most advanced theories of fundamental physics such as general r- st ativity and gravitation. At the beginning of the 21 century astronomy is clearly a multidisciplinary activity touching on all aspects of science. It is therefore logical that in the past and still now, astronomy has attracted the most famous scientists, be they pure observers, mathematicians, physicists, biologists, experimentalists, and even politicians.

• Observatories
• Universe
• astronomy
• astrophysics
• strategies in astronomy, socio-dynamical aspects of the astr

• Strasbourg Astronomical Observatory, France

  ANDRÉ HECK

Policies and ethics