The Astronomical Clock found in Prague's Old Town Square.

By Adrian Tiplady

The importance of new generation telescopes across the spectrum, bigger and more powerful than ever before, featured prominently at the XXVI General Assembly of the International Astronomical Union, held in Prague from 14 - 25 August 2006. Numerous plans were presented to construct the next big instrument in gamma-ray, X-ray, infra-red, optical and radio astronomy.

The IAU event offered a wide variety of presentations, symposia and discussions covering topics ranging from the evolution of distant galaxies to near-earth objects.

The debate on the definition of a planet attracted enormous media attention, with Pluto's status as one of the nine planets in our solar system at stake. Pulsars were well covered with presentations on the future of pulsar astronomy with new generation instruments. The significance of South Africa's planned Karoo Array Telescope for long-term pulsar programmes was thoroughly recognised. In another popular session Dr Jill Tarter of the SETI (Search for Extra-Terrestrial Intelligence) Institute made a compelling case for "alien hunting" as big science, based on the existence of organisms living in extreme conditions on earth.