Blaauw and the IAU

Ron Ekers President IAU 2004-2007

A Centennial Cruise Honoring Adriaan Blaauw

Groningen 7-8 Apr 2014 Adriaan Blaauw 1914-2010

■ Personal notes – Kapteyn Laboratory 1971-1980 – 2010 Blaauw lecture

– meeting with Adriaan Nov 2010 » ESO » A&A, » IAU and

April 2014 R D Ekers 2 Blaauw and the IAU

■ History of the IAU – The Birth and First Half-Century ■ Takes a political approach to IAU history – I will use the same style – This is very much Blaauw’s style and we see it in his other successes e.g. ESO, A&A ■ Blaauw IAU president from 1976 to 1979 – China ‘s re-admission to IAU – Blaauw’s political approach to the IAU history may well have been triggered by the two China’s politics

April 2014 R D Ekers 3 IAU and Politics

■ Blaauw puts a lot of emphasis on the political aspects of the IAU in his history – My fascination with the political aspects grew when I realised how strongly the birth of the IAU (and of some other scientific unions) has been determined by political circumstance (WWI) rather than the result of a co- operative spirit... ■ typical IAU members will hardly be aware of these aspects

April 2014 R D Ekers 4 July 28 1919: birth of IAU at Brussels IRC meeting

■ International Research Council (IRC) – To co-ordinate international efforts in the different branches of science and its applications; – To initiate the formation of international Associations or Unions deemed to be useful to the progress of science in accordance with article I ...... *

⃰ That new associations, deemed to be useful to the progress of science and its applications, be established without delay by the nations at war with the Central Powers, with the eventual co-operation of neutral nations.’

April 2014 R D Ekers 5 IAU is the first scientific union

■ IAU Statutes, adopted on July 26 , 1919: – I.1. The purpose of the Union is: » To facilitate the relations between astronomers of different countries where international co-operation is necessary or useful. » To promote the study of astronomy in all its departments. – I.2 The admission of countries to the Union shall be subject to the Regulations of the IRC. – ...... – II.3 A National Committee shall be formed in each of the countries belonging to the Union. ■ no individual members yet

April 2014 R D Ekers 6 List of member countries

■ Nations at war with the central powers (Germany, Austria-Hungary, Bulgaria, Turkey) – Belgium – Canada – France – Great Britain – Greece – Japan – United States – and later: Italy and Mexico ■ Status of the neutrals unclear (eventually admitted 1922) – Czecho-Slovakia – Denmark – Netherlands – Norway – Spain

April 2014 R D Ekers 7 Adriaan’s summary The IAU, far from being the result of an idealistic move for internationalism under peaceful circumstances, was born in the atmosphere of miserable conflict between the belligerent nations of World War I. For astronomy, traditionally so internationally oriented, to be chosen as the first one in the establishment of International Unions was a natural thing. But the sky under which this happened looked rather gloomy.

April 2014 R D Ekers 8 The evolution of the IAU over nearly 100 years

■ Political origins ■ Collaborative research – Solar Union, astrographic catalogues, Kapteyn’s selected areas, time, telegrams ..... ■ Astronomical symposia ■ Individual members ■ Now no longer unique for astronomy symposium ■ Return to emphasis on collaboration and communication between Nations ■ Using Astronomy to promote science and technology in third world countries

April 2014 R D Ekers 9 General Assemblies (highlights)

■ 1922 Rome – Strong role played by G. Ellery Hale ■ 1928 Leiden – IRC membership opened (de Sitter) Germany attends ■ 1931 IRC is replaced by ICSU – International Council of Scientific Unions – ICSU’s role is now liaison not control ■ 1938 Stockholm – Adriaan’s first IAU (age 24) – Individual membership – Last meeting before WWII – 10 years before another General assembly

April 2014 R D Ekers 10 Adriaan photographs Eddington on boat

April 2014 R D Ekers 11 Impact of WWII on IAU ■ 1939 Jan Oort is General Secretary ■ Netherlands isolated so secretariat can’t function. ■ Oort transferred the secretariat to Adams in the US ■ March 6 1946 Copenhagen conference to restart the IAU after WWII ■ 1948 IAU GA Zurich (10 years after Stockholm) – First scientific symposia – Germany and Japan re-adhere

April 2014 R D Ekers 12 General Assemblies (highlights continued)

■ 1951 Leningrad GA cancelled – impact on science, travel, communication ■ 1955 Dublin – individual members now dominate – invited discourses – Special nominating committee to elect the EC » Previously EC had been an internal election with seats for France, UK, US and 3 others ■ 1958 Moscow – beginning of the IAU GA news bulletins

April 2014 R D Ekers 13 1960 – The two China’s dilemma

■ China had been an IAU member since 1935 ■ US to host 1961 GA in Berkeley (Goldberg, Struve) – US Department of State unhappy about participants from mainland China. They required “Free China ()” be included. ■ Taiwan applies for membership – IAU EC did not feel that Taiwan had reached a level of activity that would justify membership. – Implications re China were recognised ■ 1959 Taiwan membership is accepted – IAU EC took a formal approach to the process at this point ■ 1960 China withdraws – 20 years before china re-adheres! April 2014 R D Ekers 14 Goldberg’s letter to US State Department

■ Leo Goldberg – [Chairman of the US National Committee of the IAU] is: strongly opposed to withholding our invitation until Formosa [Taiwan] is accepted as a member; ..... I submit that any attempt to link the acceptance of Nationalist China with the U.S. invitation could be interpreted by the Executive Committee of the IAU as political interference and for this reason I feel it would be damaging to the scientific reputation of the U.S.

April 2014 R D Ekers 15 China – Restoration of IAU Membership ■ 1976 IAU Grenoble – Leo Goldberg’s opening speech – no task more urgent than restoring Chinese membership ■ Blaauw becomes President IAU – recognises a problem that needs a solution ■ 1976-7 IUGG , IUGS expel Taiwan – IAU expected to follow but does not ■ 1978-1979 discussions with China – Edith Muller, Wayman, Blaauw – Blaauw used ESO contacts to facilitate the negotiations and to explore legal options

April 2014 R D Ekers 16 1979 IAU GA Montreal

■ China membership restored - Montreal Agreement – readmission negotiated by team including Blaauw and Chang – Blaauw and Chang (Purple Mountain Obs) were old acquaintances, Yerkes 1947-8 ■ Dual adherence – One China with two adhering bodies Mainland CHINA Taiwan astronomers – Name issue was deferred » Clever political move to get both governments on-side – Chinese membership was a provisional

April 2014 R D Ekers 17 1979 IAU GA Montreal

■ China membership restored - Montreal Agreement – readmission negotiated by team including Blaauw and Chang – Blaauw and Chang (Purple Mountain Obs) where old acquaintances, Yerkes 1947-8 ■ Dual adherence – One China with two adhering bodies CHINA Nanjing CHINA CHINA Taipei – Name issue was deferred » Clever political move to get both governments on-side – Chinese membership was a provisional

April 2014 R D Ekers 18 Professor Wang Shou-Guan Dear friends & colleagues, The Chinese Astronomical Society celebrates its 60th anniversary this year. Its reunion with this international community today is an event that is highly appreciated by all its 900 members. Thank you!

April 2014 R D Ekers 19 Two China - Followup

■ 1982 IAU GA Patras – Dual adherence proposal ratified ■ ICSU has taken Blaauw's solution of the '2 China' problem and made it applicable to all the ICSU unions ■ There is still sensitivity and issues still arise – Individual name tags at IAU Sydney (not Republic of China, not Taiwan...) – Flags on the IAU web site

April 2014 R D Ekers 20 Chang Yu-Cheh

In 1986 I had the great pleasure to meet Chang again. He was frail and in poor health; it was a moving encounter. He died not long afterwards and lives on in my memory as the personification of Chinese courtesy and dignity. Adriaan Blaauw Annu. Rev. Astro. Astrophys. 2004 April 2014 R D Ekers 21 The politics of the planet definition

■ following Blaauw (science politics) ! ■ Manchester vote ■ EC withdraws right for individual votes ■ IAU had a planet naming problem ■ Individual votes had to be reinstated for Pluto since Pluto’s classification was a people issue ■ had to hide the proposal from the press

April 2014 R D Ekers 22 The situation in 2005

■ Many new Trans Neptunian Objects

■ 2003 UB313 found by Mike Brown at Caltech ■ larger than Pluto but no name could be assigned because no planet definition – Zena? ■ IAU had to make a decision – Another problem that requires a solution

April 2014 R D Ekers 23 Planetary advisory committees all agreed on the Science but a gridlock with three definitions:

1. Set Pluto as the minimum size (mass) keeps Pluto a planet 2. include dynamics of the system excludes Pluto 3. use round shape (hydrostatic equilibrium) keeps Pluto a planet and adds more planets

April 2014 R D Ekers 24 IAU’s Planet Definition Committee • André Brahic (France) • Iwan P. Williams (UK) • Junichi Watanabe (Japan) • Richard P. Binzel (USA) • Catherine Cesarsky(ESO) • Dava Sobel (USA) • Owen Gingerich (USA)

April 2014 R D Ekers 25 historians, science writers, educationalists & planetary scientists IAU XXVI GA 14-26 August 2006

April 2014 R D Ekers 26 The vote on scientific issues

■ 2000 IAU GA Manchester – IAU members voted against a recommendation of the IAU executive ■ 2003 IAU GA Sydney – An IAU executive resolution to removed individual members vote was passed – Strong negative reaction in the community ■ 2006 IAU GA Prague – Restored the individual vote for scientific issues

April 2014 R D Ekers 27 IAU resolution 5A

■ a planet is round and has cleared its orbit ■ a dwarf planet is round but doesn’t dominate its neighbourhood ■ Pluto becomes a "dwarf planet" ■ resolution passes comfortably

April 2014 R D Ekers 28 The Vote

April 2014 R D Ekers 29 Some thoughts on the sociology

■ Decision to work discretely until the GA in Prague ■ Decision to open the GA to the world media ■ The unbalance in the planetary science community at the GA caused by the associated dynamics symposium. ■ Original simple resolution got modified before the GA with footnotes that caused confusion ■ The problem of naming the class of dwarf planets erupted when the geologists triggered a massive write-in campaign opposing the class name “Plutons” ■ Impact on Czech Republic joining ESO

April 2014 R D Ekers 30 February not a month

■ Emboldened by their success in declaring Pluto not a planet, the International Astronomical Union determined this week by a close vote that February is too short to be considered a true month. It has, however, been granted the newly created status of “dwarf month.” …..

Michael Haber, 2008

April 2014 R D Ekers 31