[701] The purpose of this IAU Division A Commission is to facilitate
advances in astronomy, and other fields in science and engineering,
by developing, implementing, and communicating fundamental
IAU-endorsed standards for fundamental astronomy. Such standards
include, but are not limited to:
- celestial & terrestrial reference systems/frames and the
transformations among them;
- time scales;
- precession-nutation models;
- Earth rotation and polar motion, including physical models
(e.g., Earth's gravity field, lunar gravity field, Earth interior
model, solid Earth-tide modelling);
- star catalogues;
- ephemerides of Solar System bodies;
- coordinate systems of Solar System bodies;
- special and general relativistic models for time and space.
This involves:
- producing robust standards, and ensuring that new standards are
readily understood by both the astronomical and broader scientific
communities; i.e., are relevant and "fit for purpose";
- ensuring that the associated nomenclature is well defined and
understood; encouraging future research, particularly groups with
the appropriate expertise, to improve their models and help them
to develop relevant standards;
- implementing good practices in setting and using IAU standards,
including identifying requirements for new standards; providing a
link between the users of fundamental standards and developers to
(1) inform users of current standards and the status of those
under development, and (2) to accept input from the broader user
community in order to ensure that standards are relevant for
practical needs; and
- encouraging interest among young astronomers in developing the
field of astronomical standards and services for the scientific
community.
FS will serve as the primary point of contact between
Division A and the user community regarding standards for fundamental
astronomy.
Join FS & help make standards easy for everyone
Send comments, questions, suggestions to:
@ President of C.A3.