Transactions of the International Astronomical Union

The three years since the Brighton General Assembly have been the most active period in the history of the Union. 33 IAU Symposia and Colloquia, the first Regional Meeting under the Auspices of the IAU, several co-sponsored Meetings and many other special projects. All this culminating with two General Assemblies in two opposite parts of the Earth, Australia and Poland. At the same time the membership of the Union rose to 3200, the number of Commissions to 40, the number of adhering countries to 47. The present Volume gives a general picture of the Union's recent activity. It contains the report of the Executive Committee, the report of the General Assembly, including the Commissions, Meetings, a short report on the Extraordinary General Assembly and an Appendix with the Members and Commissions of the IAU and the approved names of Lunar and Martian features. I take this opportunity to thank all our collaborators, members of the Executive Committee, Presidents of Commissions, Chairmen of Specific Projects, IAU Secrt;taries and all the Members of the IA U for their contribution to keep our Union a living body of active scientists and a big inter­ national family. G. CoNTOPOULOS General Secretary CONTENTS Page No.

Contenu

1 Report of the Executive Committee 1970-72.- 2 Welcoming Ceremony - Report of the General Assembly.- Report of the Welcoming Ceremony, Sydney, 22 August 1973.- Address by his Excellency, the Minister for Science.- Address by the Lord Mayor of Sydney.- Address by the Acting Vice-Chancellor of the University of Sydney.- Address by the Foreign Secretary of the Australian Academy of Science.- Address by the President of the IAU.- Report of the XVth General Assembly (with Resolutions included).- Agenda.- First Session, 21 August 1973.- List of National Representation.- Members of the Finance Committee.- Final Session, 30 August 1973.- Report of the Finance Committee.- Budget for 1974-76.- Report of the Resolutions Committee.- Résolutions adoptées par l'Assemblee Générate.- Nos. 1. Modification des Statuts.- 2. Intervalle entre deux Assemblées Générales.- 3. Réunions régionales.- 4. Jour julien modifié.- 5. Détermination de z dans le spectre des objets fortement déplacés vers le rouge.- 6. Valeur de la vitesse de propagation du rayonnement électromagnétique dans le vide.- 7. Sur les résolutions adoptées par les Commissions.- Resolutions adopted by the General Assembly.- Nos. 1. Change of Statutes.- 2. Interval between two General Assemblies.- 3. Regional meetings.- 4. Modified Julian Date.- 5. Determination of z in the spectrum of objects of large redshifts.- 6. Value of the speed of propagation of electromagnetic radiation in vacuum.- 7. On the resolutions adopted by Commissions.- New Members of the Union.- Appointment of the Presidents and Vice-Presidents of Commissions.- The place and date of the XVIth General Assembly.- Election of the new Executive Committee.- Addresses by the retiring and newly elected Officers.- Closing Ceremonies.- 3 Reports of Meetings of Commissions Comptes Rendus des Séances des Commissions.- Commissions No. 4 Ephemerides (Ephémerides).- 5 Documentation.- 6 Astronomical Telegrams (Télégrammes Astronomiques).- WG on Numerical Data (GT pour des Données Numériques).- 7 Celestial Mechanics (Mécanique Céleste).- 8 Positional Astronomy (Astronomie de Position).- 9 Instruments and Techniques (Instruments et Techniques).- 10 Solar Activity (Activité Solaire).- 12 Radiation and Structure of the Solar Atmosphere (Radiation et Structure de l'Atmosphère Solaire).- 14 Fundamental Spectroscopic Data (Données Spectroscopiques Fondamentales).- 15 Physical Study of Comets, Minor Planets and Meteorites (L'Étude Physique des Comètes, des Petites Planètes et des Météorites).- 16 Physical Study of Planets and Satellites (Étude Physique des Planètes et des Satellites).- 17 The Moon (La Lune).- 19 Rotation of the Earth (Rotation de la Terre).- 20 Positions and Motions of Minor Planets, Comets and Satellites (Positions et Mouvements des Petites Planètes, des Comètes et des Satellites).- 21 Light of the Night Sky (Luminescence du Ciel).- 22 Meteors and Interplanetary Dust (Météores et la Poussière Interplanétaire).- 24 Photographic Astrometry (Astrométrie Photographique).- 25 Stellar Photometry and Polarimetry (Photométrie et Polarimétrie Stellaires).- 26 Double Stars (Étoiles Doubles).- 27 Variable Stars (Étoiles Variables).- 28 Galaxies.- 29 Stellar Spectra (Spectres Stellaires).- 30 Radial Velocities (Vitesses Radiales).- 31 Time (L'Heure).- 33 Structure and Dynamics of the Galactic System (Structure et Dynamique du Système Galactique).- 34 Interstellar Matter and Planetary Nebulae (Matière Interstellaire et Nébuleuses Planétaires.- 35 Stellar Constitution (Constitution des Étoiles).- 36 The Theory of Stellar Atmospheres (La Théorie des Atmosphères Stellaires).- 37 Star Clusters and Associations (Amas Stellaires et Associations).- 38 Exchange of Astronomers (Échange des Astronomes).- 40 Radio Astronomy (Radio Astronomie).- 42 Close Binary Stars (Étoiles Binaires Serrées).- 44 Astronomical Observations from Outside the Terrestrial Atmosphere (Observations Astronomiques au-dehors de 1'Atmosphère Terrestre).- 45 Spectral Classifications and Multiband Colour Indices (Classifications Spectrales et Indices de Couleur à Plusieurs Bandes).- 46 Teaching of Astronomy (Enseignement de l'Astronomie).- 47 Cosmology (Cosmologie).- 48 High Energy Astrophysics (Astrophysique de Grande Énergie).- 4 Astronomer's Handbook.- I. Short History of the IAU.- II. Administration and Finances of the Union.- III. The IAU and the other International Scientific Organizations.- IV. Services and Functions of the IAU.- V. Publications of the IAU.- VI. Symposia of the IAU.- Executive Committee 1973-76.- By-laws.- Working Rules.- Membership of Commissions and Alphabetical List of Members (See Appendix II) List of Countries adhering to the IAU.- 5 Report of the Extraordinary General Assembly, Poland 1973.- Opening Ceremony, Warsaw, 4 September 1973.- Word of Welcome by the Chairman of the Local Organizing Committee.- Address by his Excellency, the Chairman of the Council of Ministers of the Polish People's Republic.- Address by the President of the Polish Academy of Sciences.- Address by the Chairman of the Warsaw City Council.- Address by the Chairman of the National Committee for the IAU.- Address by the President of the IAU.- Appendix I.- Lunar and Martian Nomenclature.- Appendix II.- Membership of Commissions (Composition des Commissions).- Alphabetical List of Members (Liste Alphabétique des Membres).