In the aftermath of the First World War, a group of astronomers met at the Academy Palace in Brussels to set up the International Astronomical Union (IAU), fostering cooperation among astronomers across national borders. The time for such collaboration was ripe; a few months later, the English astronomer, Arthur Eddington, would observe bent starlight during a solar eclipse that validated the work of German theorist Albert Einstein.

The work of the IAU is mostly technical. How we designate star names or universal time standards is arbitrary; that we all use the same designations is essential. Most people would never have heard of the IAU except for its definition of a planet back in 2006, which appeared to “demote” Pluto – to the outrage of children and others who equate science with memorising facts.