Comment in 2019

The fundamental aim of inclusive astronomy is to bring astronomy to diverse groups of people while at the same time broadening the viewpoints of astronomy communicators. Building domestic and international networks is essential to disseminate inclusive activities and resources.

The struggles of marginalized students, mentees and peers in astronomy and physics can be amplified by negative ‘fixed’ mindsets. Here are ways we can address mindset in our labs, our classrooms and ourselves.

Good intentions are not enough to advance diversity. This case study of a 2019 postdoctoral fellowship competition in astronomy illustrates how incorporating lessons from social science research into the evaluation process mitigates bias, identifies outstanding scientists, and improves diversity.

Astronomy across world cultures is rooted in indigenous knowledge. We share models of partnering with indigenous communities involving collaboration with integrity to co-create an inclusive scientific enterprise on Earth and in space.

The International Astronomical Youth Camp has benefited thousands of lives during its 50 year history. We explore the pedagogy behind this success, review a survey taken by more than 300 previous participants and discuss some of the challenges the camp faces in the future.

Researchers are debating whether habitability is a binary concept or not. We propose that the habitability of environments is a continuum defined by a series of binary questions.

In 1919 scientists from rival nations collaborated to test predictions made by Albert Einstein’s general theory of relativity during a solar eclipse expedition.

Machine learning and related methods will be crucial for automatically classifying transients as they happen in order to best allocate follow-up resources. Such techniques cannot be used off the shelf, but must be developed by the community as a whole.

Besides supernovae, few astrophysical processes can release close to 10⁵¹ erg of energy. A growing number of stellar outbursts are now recognized to have energy releases matching those of faint supernovae. These transients can be triggered by various mechanisms, and their discrimination is sometimes a tricky issue.

We all benefit when astronomy, and other sciences, are deconstructed and re-imagined in a different light to create activities accessible to all, independent of age, nationality, socioeconomic status, location, educational level, or mental or physical ability.

Astrobiologists hope to detect signs of life on ocean worlds such as Europa. But the major challenge will actually come if such detections are successful — how to prove they are real and not artefacts of contamination or exotic chemistry?

Although a major objective in Mars exploration is the search for life, there are many scenarios that could lead to the recovery of lifeless samples. What could lifeless samples tell us about Mars and its habitability?

South Africa is looking forward to hosting the IAU General Assembly in 2024 — the first on the African continent. The meeting will come at a time of burgeoning scientific prosperity for the growing community of indigenous South African and African astronomers.

The new generation of sample return missions from small bodies will deliver to us fresh witnesses from the early Solar System. In-depth laboratory analysis of retrieved samples will allow us to look in unprecedented detail at the formation and evolution of organic materials in asteroids.

On 27 June 2018 the Hayabusa2 spacecraft arrived at the carbonaceous asteroid Ryugu — a top-shaped asteroid with a very dark surface and many boulders. After a careful search for a safe and flat landing site, the first touchdown successfully took place on 22 February 2019.

Japanese and US missions returning samples from the carbon-rich asteroids Ryugu and Bennu are the latest steps in probing our Solar System’s smallest bodies, near and far, for clues to our own origins and directions for our future exploration.

After the return of Hayabusa from asteroid Itokawa in 2010, the Japanese space agency JAXA developed a plan to investigate how our planet became habitable. The Hayabusa2 spacecraft mission to the asteroid Ryugu is just one part of this exploration that aims to track water and organics throughout our Solar System.

Do black holes rotate, and if yes, how fast? This question is fundamental and has broad implications, but still remains open. There are significant observational challenges in current spin determinations, but future facilities offer prospects for precision measurements.

The PLOAD — Portuguese Language Office of Astronomy for Development — was established in 2015 by the International Astronomical Union (IAU) with the goal of promoting astronomy as a tool for sustainable development in Portuguese-speaking countries.

Both NASA and ESA hope their next Mars rovers will find evidence that life once thrived on Mars, but they have different strategies to reach this goal. Their landing site choices reflect this difference.