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The International Astronomical Union Circulars (IAUCs) are notices that give information about astronomical phenomena. IAUCs are issued by the
International Astronomical Union The International Astronomical Union (IAU; french: link=yes, Union astronomique internationale, UAI) is a nongovernmental organisation with the objective of advancing astronomy in all aspects, including promoting astronomical research, outreac ...
's
Central Bureau for Astronomical Telegrams The Central Bureau for Astronomical Telegrams (CBAT) is the official international clearing house for information relating to transient astronomical events. The CBAT collects and distributes information on comets, natural satellites, novae, super ...
(CBAT) at irregular intervals for the discovery and follow-up information regarding such objects as planetary satellites, novae, supernovae, and
comet A comet is an icy, small Solar System body that, when passing close to the Sun, warms and begins to release gases, a process that is called outgassing. This produces a visible atmosphere or coma, and sometimes also a tail. These phenomena ...
s.


History

The first series of IAUCs was published at
Uccle Uccle () or Ukkel () is one of the 19 municipalities of the Brussels-Capital Region, Belgium. In common with all of Brussels' municipalities, it is legally bilingual (French–Dutch). It is generally considered an affluent area of the city an ...
during 1920–1922 when the IAU's first CBAT was located there; the first IAUC published in the present series was published in 1922 at Copenhagen Observatory after the transfer of the CBAT from Uccle to
Copenhagen Copenhagen ( or .; da, København ) is the capital and most populous city of Denmark, with a proper population of around 815.000 in the last quarter of 2022; and some 1.370,000 in the urban area; and the wider Copenhagen metropolitan ar ...
. At the end of 1964, the CBAT moved from Copenhagen to the Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory in
Cambridge, Massachusetts Cambridge ( ) is a city in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States. As part of the Boston metropolitan area, the cities population of the 2020 U.S. census was 118,403, making it the fourth most populous city in the state, behind Boston ...
, where it remains, on the grounds of the
Harvard College Observatory The Harvard College Observatory (HCO) is an institution managing a complex of buildings and multiple instruments used for astronomical research by the Harvard University Department of Astronomy. It is located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United St ...
(HCO). HCO had maintained a Central Bureau for the Western hemisphere from 1883 until the end of 1964, when its staff took on the IAU's CBAT; HCO had published its own Announcement Cards that paralleled the IAUCs from 1926 until the end of 1964, but the Announcement Cards ceased publication when the IAUCs began to be issued from the same building.


Accessibility

The IAUCs are delivered via the
United States Postal Service The United States Postal Service (USPS), also known as the Post Office, U.S. Mail, or Postal Service, is an independent agency of the executive branch of the United States federal government responsible for providing postal service in the U ...
, e-mail, and through the
Central Bureau for Astronomical Telegrams The Central Bureau for Astronomical Telegrams (CBAT) is the official international clearing house for information relating to transient astronomical events. The CBAT collects and distributes information on comets, natural satellites, novae, super ...
/ Minor Planet Center Computer Service. Most of the announcement circulars published at Cambridge, Copenhagen, and Uccle from 1895 to the present day are available for viewing via the CBAT website.


See also

* '' Minor Planet Circular'' * ''
Minor Planet Electronic Circular The Minor Planet Center (MPC) is the official body for observing and reporting on minor planets under the auspices of the International Astronomical Union (IAU). Founded in 1947, it operates at the Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory. Function T ...
''


External links

*


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Iau Circular Publications established in 1920 Astronomy data and publications pt:Central Bureau for Astronomical Telegrams#Publicação