Invitation on the inaugural general meeting of the IOTA/EA

June 16, 2023.

Japanese translation/日本語訳ページ

Occultation observations have long been a powerful tool in astronomy. In recent years, especially in Japan, there has been a series of important results from occultation observations.

Thanks to their remarkable activities, this research field has become very active, with a rapid increase in the number of observations, worldwide recognition of observational results, and requests for support from planetary exploration missions.

Some examples of international occultation observations in which Japanese observers have participated are listed below:

It is expected that there will be more and more requests for observations from spacecraft missions and opportunities to participate in international observing campaigns in the future. Under these circumstances, researchers and amateurs have cooperated to create a dedicated website for occultation observations and an archive of observation data. Occultation phenomena can only be observed in a limited area, but sometimes the occultation zone crosses national borders and observations are carried out in cooperation with neighboring countries. Therefore, we have decided to establish the International Occultation Timing Association / East Asia (IOTA/EA) for coordination of occultation observations throughout East Asia and Southeast Asia, and we are sending you this message.

As the international association, there is the International Occultation Timing Association (IOTA), which acts as the data center of observation, and regional sections such as the European Section (IOTA/ES), the Middle East Section (IOTA/ME), Australia & New Zealand (RASNZ – Occultation Section), South America (with LIADA) and the IOTA India Section (IOTA/India) are already active in their respective regions. There has been no such organization in the East Asia region, but as mentioned above, it is a good time to establish IOTA/EA and hold its inaugural meeting.

Inaugural general meeting of the IOTA/EA

  • Date and time
    • Sunday 27 August 2023 5:00-7:00 (UTC), 14:00-16:00 (JST), 13:00-15:00 (CST), Saturday 26 August 2023 23:00 – Sunday 27 August 2023 1:00（MDT）
  • Location :
    • Web (Zoom)　 Capacity of 70 members.

Program

  1. Opening Statement
  2. Address by the Provisional chairperson
  3. Welcome of the guests
  4. Agenda
    • Explanation of establishment and operation of the Association, Q & As. (Please refer to the website for the Bylaws and Rules & Regulations)
      • (1) Draft Bylaws and Statutes
      • (2) Proposed Business Plan for 2023
      • (3) Proposed Budget for 2023
      • (4) Proposed Provisional Officers
  5. Declaration of Matters under the Jurisdiction of Departments
    • (1) Promotion of asteroid occultation observations
    • (2) Archiving of observational data
    • (3) Operation of the website
    • (4) Promotion of lunar occultation observations
    • (5) Membership registration, membership fee and mailing list registration
    • (6) Other issues
  6. Greetings from the Officers
  7. Adjourn

Registration form for the inaugural general meeting of the IOTA/EA

Registration for the inaugural general meeting of the IOTA/EA

If you are interested in participating in IOTA/EA, please complete the registration form to receive further information later, even if you cannot attend the meeting on the day.

We look forward to your participation.

All those who set up IOTA/EA (in alphabetical order)

  • Hiroshi Akitaya
  • Tsutomu Hayamizu
  • Toshihiro Horaguchi
  • Kazuhisa Miyashita
  • Hirotomo Noda
  • Mitsuru Soma
  • Hayato Watanabe
  • Fumi Yoshida