Argentinian Astronomy Association

The Asociación Argentina de Astronomía (AAA), known in English as the Argentinian Astronomy Association, is a non-profit civil organization founded in 1958 and legally domiciled in La Plata, Buenos Aires Province, Argentina. Its stated mission is to promote the progress of astronomy, astrophysics, and related activities in the Argentine Republic. It functions as the country's principal professional body for astronomers and astrophysicists, providing forums for discussion and dissemination of research, organizing scientific meetings, supporting young researchers through scholarships and contracts, publishing a bulletin, mediating relations between astronomers and science-funding organizations in Argentina and abroad, and communicating astronomy to the general public. The association traces its roots to 1951, when the government of Juan Domingo Perón created the Asociación Nacional Astronómica with prominent astronomers from the La Plata Observatory and the Córdoba Observatory. After the 1955 coup, the association and the La Plata and Córdoba observatories were closed, and the association was intervened by the military in October under orders of dictator Eduardo Lonardi, dissolving the working group and paralyzing research. Between 1955 and 1957 several leading Argentine astronomers went into exile, including Carlos U. Cesco, Ricardo Platzeck, Livio Gratton, Carlos Jaschek, Bernard Dawson, and Jorge Landi Dessy, some of whom joined the newly created NASA. To meet IAU requirements in an orderly way, the Comité Astronómico Nacional Argentino was created. With the fall of the Aramburu dictatorship, exiled astronomers returned in mid-1958 and formed the new Asociación Argentina de Astronomía at a meeting held at the Observatorio Félix Aguilar in San Juan Province, attended by practically the entire astronomical community of the time. Today the AAA organizes an annual itinerant meeting across Argentina where members present work, discuss topics, and conduct outreach. It coordinates Argentine participation in the Editorial Executive Committee of the journal Astronomy & Astrophysics, which allows Argentine first-author papers to be published without page charges, a benefit historically supported by voluntary contributions coordinated by the association. Since 1961 it has published an annual bulletin, the Boletín de la Asociación Argentina de Astronomía, whose early volumes have been digitized in the institutional repository of the Universidad Nacional de La Plata through the Servicio de Difusión de la Creación Intelectual; a 2020 AAA service scholarship enabled the bulletin's database to be built for the Astrophysics Data System. The association also awards prizes such as the Premio Carlos M. Varsavsky for the best doctoral thesis in astronomy and astrophysics carried out in the country, and maintains sections for outreach, eclipses, astronomical olympiads, and a quality seal. Its 68th Annual Meeting is scheduled for San Juan from 21 to 25 September 2026.

The Asociación Argentina de Astronomía (AAA) is a non-profit civil organization founded in 1958 and legally domiciled in La Plata, Buenos Aires Province, Argentina. Its objective is to promote the progress of astronomy, astrophysics, and related activities in the Argentine Republic. The prehistory of the association begins in 1927, when Argentina became the third Latin American nation to join the International Astronomical Union (IAU). In 1951, during the government of Juan Domingo Perón, the Asociación Nacional Astronómica was created with prominent astronomers from the La Plata Observatory and the National Observatory of Córdoba (transformed into the Argentine National Observatory). In 1955, following the coup d'état of that year, the association and the La Plata and Córdoba observatories were closed. The association was intervened by the military in October by orders of dictator Eduardo Lonardi, dissolving the working group and paralyzing research. Between 1955 and 1957, several of the most important Argentine astronomers went into exile, among them Carlos U. Cesco, Ricardo Platzeck, Livio Gratton, Carlos Jaschek, Bernard Dawson, and Jorge Landi Dessy, who joined the newly created NASA in the United States. To participate in an orderly way in the IAU requirements, the creation of the Comité Astronómico Nacional Argentino was resolved. With the fall of the dictatorship of Pedro Eugenio Aramburu, several exiled astronomers returned in mid-1958 and formed a new association, the Asociación Argentina de Astronomía, on the occasion of a meeting held at the Observatorio Félix Aguilar in San Juan Province, attended by practically the entire astronomical community of the time. Among its specific functions are: providing forums for discussion and dissemination of research activity in astronomy and related sciences; giving institutional backing to initiatives in the sector and organizing scientific meetings where astronomers and astrophysicists can exchange information; supporting young researchers through scholarships and work contracts; editing a bulletin reflecting local research activity; mediating relations between astronomers and organizations that support science and technology in Argentina and worldwide; disseminating astronomy to the general public; and encouraging and recognizing special merits of astronomers through prizes for scientific research and academic activity. As part of its function of providing discussion forums, it holds an annual itinerant meeting across Argentina where members present their work, discuss various topics, or educate different communities through outreach tasks. Regarding institutional support for researchers, the association coordinates Argentine participation in the Editorial Executive Committee of the journal Astronomy & Astrophysics. As part of its communication tasks, it has published an annual bulletin since 1961, although the frequency was more irregular at the beginning. The first volumes have been digitized, completing the collection from 01 to 61B in the institutional repository of the Universidad Nacional de La Plata through the Servicio de Difusión de la Creación Intelectual. A 2020 AAA service scholarship allowed the bulletin's database to be built for the Astrophysics Data System. In the context of this bulletin, the most cited article in other publications has José Luis Sérsic as author.

• 2026

  The 68th Annual Meeting is scheduled for San Juan, 21–25 September 2026.

• 2020

  An AAA service scholarship enables the bulletin database to be built for the Astrophysics Data System.

• 1961

  The association begins publishing its annual bulletin, the Boletín de la Asociación Argentina de Astronomía.

• 1958

  Exiled astronomers return and found the Asociación Argentina de Astronomía at the Observatorio Félix Aguilar in San Juan.

• 1955

  The association and the La Plata and Córdoba observatories are closed after the coup; the association is intervened by the military in October.

• 1951

  The Asociación Nacional Astronómica is created under the government of Juan Domingo Perón.

• 1927

  Argentina becomes the third Latin American nation to join the International Astronomical Union (IAU).

Argentina's principal professional association for astronomy and astrophysics, acting as a non-profit civil organization that coordinates research, publication, and outreach.

• Boletín de la Asociación Argentina de Astronomía (BAAA)

  Annual bulletin published since 1961, containing papers presented at annual meetings.

• Reunión Anual

  Annual itinerant scientific meeting held across Argentina.

• Premio Carlos M. Varsavsky

  Prize for the best doctoral thesis in astronomy and astrophysics carried out in Argentina.

• AAA-SOCHIAS Binational Meeting

  Joint meeting with the Chilean Astronomical Society (SOCHIAS).

1. 1Asociación Argentina de Astronomía - Inicioastronomiaargentina.org.ar
2. 2Asociación Argentina de Astronomía - Sobre las publicaciones en Astronomy & Astrophysicsastronomiaargentina.org.ar
3. 3Wikidata: Argentinian Astronomy Associationwikidata.org
4. 4Wikipedia (es): Asociación Argentina de Astronomíaes.wikipedia.org