Norwegian Astronomical Society

The Norwegian Astronomical Society (Norwegian: Norsk Astronomisk Selskap) is a Norwegian organization active in astronomy research, education and outreach.

The society was founded on 25 February 1938 in Oslo and initiated by Svein Rosseland,[1] who also founded the Institute of Theoretical Astrophysics at the University of Oslo. Hans Severin Jelstrup was elected as the first chairman, with Gunnar Randers being deputy chairman and Helmut Ormestad secretary.[2] In 1943, the society launched its periodical, Norsk populær-astronomisk tidsskrift. The first issue had contributions from Svein Rosseland, Hans Severin Jelstrup and Eberhart Jensen among others.[3]

Its members are both professional and amateur astronomers. The organization has almost two thousand members.[4] During the 2004 transit of Venus, NAS organized the Norwegian public show.[5] It organizes national conferences and the Norwegian Astronomy Olympiad.[6]

The society has several observation groups for meteors, comets, variable stars, supernovae, occultations, the sun, and aurorae.[7] A shift towards a more professional orientation was formalized in 1968 when the journal Astronomisk Tidskrift (Astronomical Journal) was started as a joint venture of the Danish, Norwegian and Swedish societies.[8] Since 1990, the journal Astronomi has been the official magazine for members.[9]

  1. ^ "Hva blir framtida for Norsk astronomisk selskap? – Norsk Astronomisk Selskap". 26 September 2016.
  2. ^ "Norsk Astronomisk Selskap dannet". Arbeiderbladet (in Norwegian). 4 March 1938. p. 3.
  3. ^ Einbu, Sigurd (7 April 1943). "Norsk populær-astronomisk tidsskrift". Nationen (in Norwegian). p. 4.
  4. ^ Heck, Andre (11 November 2013). StarGuides Plus: A World-Wide Directory of Organizations in Astronomy and Related Space Sciences. Springer. ISBN 9780306486029.
  5. ^ "Venus Transit in Norway" (PDF). ESO Educational Office. Retrieved 20 December 2022.
  6. ^ "About the Norwegian Astronomy Olympiad". Institute of Theoretical Astrophysics. Retrieved 20 December 2022.
  7. ^ Livesey, R. J. (1991). "The Aurora 1989". Journal of the British Astronomical Association. 101 (3).
  8. ^ Kärnfelt, Johan (2015). "Follow the Information: Comets, communicative practices and Swedish Amateur Astronomers in the Twentieth Century". Journal of Astronomical History and Heritage. 18 (2): 161. Bibcode:2015JAHH...18..161K. doi:10.3724/SP.J.1440-2807.2015.02.05.
  9. ^ "Norsk Astronomisk Selskap". Store norske leksikon (in Norwegian). Retrieved 13 January 2023.