Dates: 22-25 August 2006
Location: Prague, Czech Republic
Venue: Prague Congress Centre

Welcome to the home page for IAU Symposium 240! This symposium, being held in conjunction with the 26th General Assembly of the International Astronomical Union, is the first major meeting in recent memory bringing together members of the "wide" and "close" binary communities; it is therefore appropriate that the meeting be co-sponsored by Commissions 26 (Double and Multiple Stars) and 42 (Close Binary Stars) with the support of many other commissions and working groups.

Topics to be included range from common proper motion pairs and other "fragile" binaries to contact binaries and star/brown-dwarf/planet systems, with the aim of exploring interests common to all binary star researchers. It is fitting that such a meeting be held in the Czech Republic, since much of the pioneering work on binary and variable stars has been carried out in Central and Eastern Europe for over a century. Our proposal narrative provides a fuller account of the reasons behind this symposium.

A preliminary program for the meeting is provided - this program will evolve somewhat as more invited speakers are lined up and schedules adjusted. To complement the invited talks, participants are of course welcome to contribute posters describing their research. Time as been alloted during each session for summary talks on posters appropriate to that session's topics; these summary talks will be given by either the poster presenters themselves or by an expert in the field (such decisions must wait until we find out how many posters will be presented during each session). In an effort to encourage younger researchers, some poster presenters may be invited to give more substantial talks on their research. More details will be posted here as they become available.

Registration:: Information on registration for the XXVIth General Assembly may be found on the IAU Registration website. During that registration procedure you may note (without obligation of any sort) which symposia, etc you are interested in attending, but you are free to attend any meeting held during the GA.

Important note! Please bear in mind the following important dates for registration and submission of abstracts. More information for presenters is available here.

There is a great deal more interesting science in the field of binary and multiple stars than can possibly be fit in the time allotted for this symposium. We encourage you to attend some of the business/science meetings of the commissions and working groups who have sponsored or supported this meeting; those times are listed here. Additional talks of interest may be heard during Joint Discussion 5, Calibrating the Top of the Stellar M-L Relation, to be held Wednesday, August 16th.

Finally, innovative actions during the next IAU General Assembly at Prague have been set up under the auspices of the IAU Executive Committee, in order to allow networking opportunities between young astronomers and experienced astronomers of the community willing to foster young researchers. This luncheon will provide a splendid opportunity for young astronomers to meet with members of the IAU Executive Committee, representatives from ESA, ESO, NASA, etc. and with other experienced astronomers in order to exchange ideas and to discuss their research, careers, and educational opportunities for Post-Doctoral positions, as well as employment opportunities. For more information, contact Michele Gerbaldi at gerbaldi(at)iap.fr or see the Young Astronomer website.

For further information or to note errors or problems with the S240 website, please contact William Hartkopf at wih(at)usno.navy.mil .