• OAO
• Office for Astronomy Outreach

The IAU Office for Astronomy Outreach (OAO) is a joint project of the IAU and the National Astronomical Observatory of Japan (NAOJ), under the auspices of the National Institutes of Natural Sciences (NINS) of Japan. OAO bridges the International Astronomical Union (IAU) with the global astronomy community of amateur astronomers, outreach practitioners, educators, communicators, and the general public. The office manages a number of programmes through international collaboration to make the science of astronomy accessible to all.

To learn more about OAO visit here.

• OAD
• Office for Astronomy Development

The Office of Astronomy for Development (OAD) aims to further the use of astronomy, including its practitioners, skills and infrastructures, as a tool for sustainable development globally. The OAD is a joint project of the International Astronomical Union (IAU) and the South African National Research Foundation (NRF) with the support of the Department of Science and Innovation (DSI).

To learn more about OAD visit here.

• OYA
• Office for Young Astronomers

The prime purpose for the OYA is to run the IAU program on International Schools for Young Astronomers (ISYA). The OYA was established in 2015 by the Norwegian Academy of Science and Letters (NASL) and the International Astronomical Union (IAU) with the aim to ensure a robust financial and organizational basis for the operation of the ISYA program. 

To learn more about OYA visit here.

• OAE
• Office of Astronomy for Education

The IAU Office of Astronomy for Education (OAE) is a joint project of the International Astronomical Union (IAU) and the Max Planck Institute for Astronomy, hosted at Haus der Astronomie (“House of Astronomy”) in Heidelberg, Germany. The IAU OAE works toward the goal of creating a community of astronomers, astronomy education researchers, and education practitioners that is committed to the professionalisation of astronomy education and to sharing resources and best-practice methods.

To learn more about OAE visit here.

• WG 1
• Astronomy for Equity and Inclusion

The WG Astronomy for Equity and Inclusion’s objective is to address the systemic structure, functions, processes and attitudes that result in the exclusion or restricted participation of under-represented groups in the field of astronomy. Key to achieving this goal is research into and the development of strategies, tools and resources that will enable the equal participation in astronomy of people of different ethnic, cultural, religious background, gender, and disability identities. The WG realizes its mission through an interdisciplinary approach to develop and support astronomy research techniques, software, management, outreach, teaching and learning methods. 

To learn more about ECWG Astronomy for Equity and Inclusion, visit here.

• WG 2
• Global Coordination of Ground and Space Astrophysics

The Working Group (WG) of Global Coordination of Ground and Space Astrophysics is established to sponsor periodic meetings devoted to research themes where information is shared on large projects being planned or under development and to technological development and new facilities under consideration that could involve collaborative efforts or exchanges. This group also facilitates discussions and encourage coordination amongst the international communities as they prepare roadmaps in astronomy and create a host website for the astronomical community that serves as an information gathering and dissemination site for current information on largescale facilities, as well as announcements on projects and on groups seeking partnerships. This group works with other organizations such as COSPAR to formulate a process to create an international roadmap using the key scientific priorities of the different national decadal reviews as a focus for planning future missions and project concepts.

To learn more about ECWG Global Coordination of Ground and Space Astrophysics, visit here.

• WG 3
• Junior Members

The Working Group (WG) of IAU Junior Members (JMs) focuses on topics that are crucial to early career astronomers across the globe. This includes careers in academia and industry, mobility, psychological and financial security, inclusivity, transparency, geographical, and gender balance. JMs represent the majority of active astronomers worldwide, which not only drive the field forward, but also provide an invaluable influx of skilled workers to all branches of society. 

To learn more about ECWG Junior Members, visit here.

• WG 4
• Women in Astronomy

The International Astronomical Union (IAU) Women in Astronomy (WiA) Working Group (WG) is concerned about the situation of Women in Astronomy worldwide and working on communicating concerns, raising awareness, analyzing the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on gender equality in research, and bringing together women and men to bridge the gender gap in Astronomy. The IAU WiA WG aims to achieve these goals by collecting information, proposing measures, and initiatingactions in support of, or to advance equality of opportunity for achievement between women and men in astronomy, within the IAU and in the world at large. It acts as a federation of national Women in Astronomy organizations, creating links and facilitating information exchanges worldwide and provides an equal opportunity, diverse and inclusive working environment. 4 subgroups (Sustainability and awareness, Fundraising, Training, Dissemination and conference) have been formed within the WG to address different issues such as bias, reduced career prospects, leaky pipeline and lacking role models, mentoring, childcare issues, harassment, discrimination and unfair working conditions, that concerns the career of women in astronomy.

To learn more about ECWG Women in Astronomy, visit here.

• WG 5
• Professional-Amateur Relations in Astronomy

The IAU working group for professional-amateur relations in astronomy (for short, the pro-am WG) was formed in April 2021 as a WG under the Executive Committee. The IAU Strategic Plan 2020-30 stated that connecting professional and amateur astronomers was one of its goals for the decade (see Strategic Plan, Goal 4). This is also an integral mission of the IAU Office for Astronomy Outreach.

To learn more about ECWG Professional-Amateur Relations in Astronomy, visit here.

• CPS
• The IAU CPS (Centre for the Protection of Dark and Quiet Sky from Satellite Constellations Interference)

The IAU CPS has been constituted by the IAU with the specific task of mitigating the negative impact that the large constellations of communication satellites are causing to astronomy, both in the optical/IR and in the radio domains. The partners of the CPS are the NSF NOIRLab, based in Tucson (AZ) and the Square Kilometre Array Observatory, whose Head Quarter is based in Manchester, UK. The CPS is coordinating efforts of the global astronomical community in the protection of the sky by bringing together astronomers, industry, policy experts and the wider community. The CPS continues the research on the satellite constellation issues and is producing and disseminating information and resources to be available to all interested parties. The activity of the CPS will be presented at the XXXI GA in a dedicated session of the Focus Meeting #2.

To learn more about the CPS visit here. To learn more about the CPS visit here.