The director of the Parc Astronòmic del Montsec, Salvador J. Ribas, new member of the organizing committee of the B7 commission of the International Astronomical Union

• The UAI, created in 1919, is the authority on the names of stars, planets and all kinds of phenomena in astronomy.

• Since 2018, Ribas has been part of the UAI and from August he will be a member of the organizing committee of the B7 commission, which is responsible for preserving the dark skies at observatories around the world.

The director of the Parc Astronòmic del Montsec, Salvador J,. Ribas, has been elected as a member of the organizing committee of commission B7 of the International Astronomical Union. This group is part of the International Science Council and is the authority on the names of stars, planets and other celestial objects, as well as standards in astronomy.

The UAI, founded in 1919, coordinates 9 divisions, 38 commissions and 45 working groups on different astronomical topics.

The commission B7

The head of Astronomy has extensive experience within the UAI, as he has been part of it since 2018, when he was proposed as a junior member (with voice without vote). Already in 2022, he was promoted to ordinary member, a lifetime position that simultaneously allows him to belong to the commissions of the group and to be appointed a member of the organizing committee (managing body) of each commission. From August this year, Ribas will be a member of the organizing committee of the B7 commission, a mandate of a maximum of six years.

The B7 commission of the UAI, made up of about 90 members, is responsible for ensuring the preservation of dark skies at observatories around the world, while promoting congresses and publications, such as, for example, the document on Pollution Control lighting (Controlling Light Pollution), among others.

For Ribas, being part of this commission “is an opportunity to contribute with my knowledge in the field to work for the preservation of the night sky for future generations. It also represents an opportunity for Montsec to become the reference body in world astronomy”. At the same time, he added that this designation helps to make the Astronomical known, “since being a member of the committee gives visibility to its members and promotes us to participate in actions, which allows us to spread the word about the institutions we are linked to”.