Selon les instructions reçues de la part du Secrétaire Général de l’UAI, l’esprit général du présent “Draft Report” de la Commission 17 “La Lune” ne doit plus représenter, comme par le passé, un résumé des travaux effectués dans la discipline au cours des trois dernières années. Son rôle sera de donner un aperçu général sur les aspects et les tendances des recherches sur la Lune, la contribution présente et future de la Commission 17 du l’UAI dans son développement, ainsi que les coopérations dont elle est l’objet ou devrait l’être dans l’avenir.

During the 13th IAU General Assembly in Prague it was decided that each nation adhering to the IAU should be represented in Commission 46 by one member interested in the teaching of Astronomy. Six nations were already represented by the members of the Organizing Committee. For all other nations the Commission President contacted the head of the National Delegations to the IAU with the request to designate one IAU member of the particular country as member of Commission 46. With only a few exceptions every IAU member nation designated a representative in this Commission which now contains representatives of 33 nations. It is hoped that the missing nations in our Commission will also soon be represented by an IAU member active in the promotion of Astronomy education. Each member is responsible to (a) promote the teaching of Astronomy in his own country, (b) to keep in touch with the Astronomy teachers of his country, and (c) to communicate to the Commission President any programs and developments, problems and needs concerned with Astronomy education in his country. It is also hoped that institutions in countries not yet adhering to the IAU but which might wish to start some Astronomy teaching, could contact the Commission and, in some specific cases, could designate a Consulting Member to the Commission.

Since the last report in 1960, a total number of 25 grants has been made to 27 astronomers. This is about the average number of the last ten years. Considering the increasing importance of astronomy, one might have expected a quicker development of international travel and exchange. All efforts should be made to stimulate the mobility of astronomers and to make effective use of the wonderful possibilities now available. It should be stressed that the IAU grants can be awarded for a stay of any duration of time, and that practically all applications are answered positively and quickly.

During this part of the Symposium, so carefully prepared by Messrs. Denisse and Pawsey, a great amount of new data has been presented, almost all obtained since the last international meeting on these subjects only one year ago. It is clear that this is a part of astronomy that develops impetuously. Hypothetical theories have been definitely confirmed by direct observation; on the other hand, new facts have been disclosed, increasing the complication of the phenomena; but we have reason to hope that we are in a transitory stage and that the complications will gradually be explained on clear and simple principles. It is of course impossible to mention in this summary the contents of all communications; only the more essential results will be reviewed.

By publishing at each meeting a report on the progress of astronomical spectrophotometry, our Commission has done in the past work which has been appreciated. Such a report may be expected to be of special usefulness in the present circumstances, after the disruption of normal communications for so many years. For this purpose, an attempt has been made to give a list of the most important publications, as a bibliographical appendix to this report. The titles are quoted in abridged form. My thanks are due to many members of the Commission, who contributed materially to this list and helped me with important information. I apologize for omissions, nearly inevitable in this post-war period. In future some restriction of the field of our activity ought to be considered; spectrophotometry is nowadays so general an astrophysical method, that it is nearly impossible to give a more or less complete survey of its applications to all different fields of our science. This report was finished on January 1, 1948. A few recent publications have been included in the bibliographical list.

At the first meeting of the newly formed Commission on Spectrophotometry, at Paris in 1935, a thorough discussion, aided by several reports, took place on the principles of this branch of astrophysics. So it will be sufficient now to treat only such special points of theory and practice as have won interest by researches of the last few years.