Hellenic Astronomical Society
The first serious attempt to establish a Hellenic astronomical society was undertaken in 1982 during the XVIII General Assembly of the International Astronomical Union, which took place in Patras, Greece. There, during several meetings, a dozen of Greek astronomers gathered in order to put the foundations of the long sought Society. A number of people worked diligently throughout the end of the 1980s, organizing various meetings in order to identify the common grounds and proposing drafts for the establishment of an astronomical society. In November 1991, when P. Laskarides issued the first announcement of the 1st Hellenic Astronomical Conference, the idea of the establishment of an astronomical society, seemed ripe again. J.H. Seiradakis, on sabbatical leave in Bonn, drafted a first draft of the Statutes.
The Hellenic Astronomical Society has been active ever since. It has been recognized as an Affiliated Member of the European Astronomical Society, it has established links with other international astronomical societies. It is closely collaborating with the Greek National Committee for Astronomy and it has been organizing a major astronomical conference in Greece every two years. The above account describes briefly the events concerning the establishment of Hel.A.S. If you happen to know of any further details that may shed light to the early history of the work and efforts that eventually led to the establishment of the Hellenic Astronomical Society, please send a message to John H. Seiradakis.
For more information, please visit http://www.astro.auth.gr