Dear colleagues,

We invite you to participate in and contribute to the Focus Meeting 5 at the IAU General Assembly in Cape Town in August 2024, with the title "The future of radio astronomy in an increasingly crowded spectrum". The Focus meeting is taking place on 7-8 August 2024. Abstracts for contributions can be submitted through the abstract submission system of the IAU General Assembly with a deadline of 1 March 2024.

Radio astronomy becomes existentially threatened by anthropogenic radio emissions. An example is the effort to provide global access to broadband internet with small and large satellite constellations, which might affect radio telescopes in the remotest areas, including even the Shielded Zone of the Moon. The radio astronomy community therefore has to make a continuous effort to protect radio astronomy and find ways to coexist with active users of the radio spectrum. To do so, it is important to engage with regulators, industry, and the public, but also to sustain the ninternal communication and discussion with the specialists in their scientific disciplines within radio astronomy, to be aware of the state of the arts and the future of research in radio astronomy. This enables us to highlight the contributions of radio astronomy to science and society, and to identify those parts of the spectrum, which are especially relevant. This Focus meeting is meant to bring together specialists in radio astronomy research, and spectrum managers whose chosen task is to protect present and future radio astronomy.

Both a census of current research in radio astronomy as well as a discussion of the means of its protection is the topic of Focus Meeting FM 5 at IAUGA 2024. You can find further information here. Do not hesitate to contact us if you have any questions.

Best regards,
on behalf of the SOC and the editorial board,
Gyula Józsa