Knowra International Astronomical Union International Astronomical Union The International Astronomical Union is a global organization of professional astronomers that coordinates international research, establishes astronomical standards, and approves names for celestial bodies and features.
IAU Working Group for Planetary System Nomenclature : The IAU body that approves names for planets, satellites, and surface features across the Solar System. It handles planetary naming under the Union’s authority.
National Members of the IAU : Countries represented in the IAU through national organizations or committees of professional astronomers. National membership connects the Union’s international structure to local astronomy communities.
International Research Council : An international scientific organization founded in 1919 to coordinate research after the First World War. The IAU was established within the Council’s postwar framework.
IAU definition of planet : The 2006 IAU resolution defining a planet in the Solar System by its orbit, round shape, and orbital neighborhood. The definition formalized a distinction that changed Pluto’s classification.
IAU Commission on Small Body Nomenclature : The IAU commission responsible for naming minor planets and comets. It applies naming rules to small Solar System bodies.
IAU General Assembly : The IAU’s principal meeting, held every three years, where members conduct business and scientific meetings. The Assembly is where members debate policy and elect Union leadership.
International Union of Academies : An organization founded in 1919 to foster international cooperation among scholarly academies. It represents a parallel postwar effort to rebuild cross-border scholarship.
Dwarf planet : A Solar System body that orbits the Sun, is nearly round, has not cleared its orbital neighborhood, and is not a satellite. This category was introduced in the same 2006 resolution that reclassified Pluto.
Pluto : A dwarf planet in the Kuiper belt, discovered in 1930 and reclassified by the IAU in 2006. Its reclassification made the Union’s planet definition globally consequential.
IAU Executive Committee : The elected body that manages the IAU’s affairs between General Assemblies. It carries out decisions and directs the Union between major meetings.
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