Global astronomy conference set for Cape Town has record number of paper submissions

The International Astronomical Union’s (IAU’s) General Assembly 2024, the first ever to be held in Africa, has received more than 3 000 abstracts, its organising committee has announced. This number was described by the committee as a “milestone”, being the greatest number of abstracts ever received for the conference. The General Assembly will be held in Cape Town, at the International Convention Centre (ICC), in August, and will be hosted by South Africa’s National Research Foundation, supported by the country’s Department of Science and Innovation. “It marks a groundbreaking moment in the IAU’s over 100-year history,” enthused the committee, in its statement. “Not only will it be the first in Africa, but it will also be the first time that the event will adopt an open-access format, making it accessible to anyone anywhere in the world who has access to the internet.”