First announcement

"Diversity of the Local Universe"
September 30 - October 4, 2019

Special Astrophysical Observatory of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Russia

https://www.sao.ru/hq/DLU19/
Contacts: dlu2019@sao.ru

The nearby Universe is a key tool for understanding structure formation and
galaxy evolution. It allows us to study the distribution in space and bulk 
motion of matter with unsurpassed accuracy. Here, we can observe the inner 
structure of nearby objects in great detail. We may study the physical 
processes in individual star-forming regions and analyze stellar 
populations using individual stars. Due to relatively small distances, we 
observe a huge number of dwarf galaxies in the nearby Universe; a census 
which is simply impossible for regions further away. Dwarf galaxies play an
important role in galaxy evolution throughout cosmic time. These "simple" 
low-mass objects provide us a detailed view on stellar, chemical, and 
dynamical properties in the Universe. The aim of this conference is to 
bring together the broad community studying the Local Universe and the 
place of dwarf galaxies within it.

Scientific Organizing Committee:
Courtois Hélène (Université de Lyon, Claude Bernard Lyon 1, France)
Klypin Anatoly  (University of New Mexico, USA)
Libeskind Noam  (Leibniz-Institut für Astrophysik Potsdam, Germany;
                 Institut de Physique Nucléaire de Lyon, France)
Makarov Dmitry  (SAO RAS, Russia) - chair
Makarova Lidia  (SAO RAS, Russia)
Pustilnik Simon (SAO RAS, Russia)
Shchekinov Yuri (LPI RAS, Russia)

Local Organizing Committee:
Antipova Aleksandra
Egorova Evgenia
Filippova Ekaterina
Grokhovskaya Aleksandra
Kaisina Elena
Kolesnikova Anastasia
Makarov Dmitry - chair
Oborina Natalia - secretary
Perekotienko Vladislava
Perepelitsyna Yulia - co-chair
Shablovinskaya Elena
Tepliakova Arina
Uklein Roman

The conference will focus on the following main topics:
* Structure, mass distribution, and bulk motions in the Local Universe
        Voids, groups, filaments, clusters
        Local Group of galaxies
        Extragalactic distance ladder and Hubble constant
        Peculiar velocity field and bulk flows
* Star formation in dwarf galaxies
        Current star formation from H-alpha and UV surveys
        Age and metallicity of stellar populations, star formation history
                reconstruction
        Diversity of SF and chemical evolution of dwarfs
        Gas outflows and inflows
* Diversity of dwarf galaxies
        Individual objects and recent discoveries
        Ultra Diffuse, Ultra Compact, and Dwarf Spheroidal galaxies
        Census, abundance, and habitats
        Statistical trends, extremities, and nature of outliers
        Angular momentum of dwarfs
* Dwarf galaxies as probes of cosmology
        Dark Matter content in dwarf galaxies
        Shredding, stripping, and stellar haloes: observations and theory
             of unbound substructures in the Local Group
        Cold DM, Self interacting DM, Warm DM: evidence from dwarf galaxies
        Disentangling hydrodynamics, feedback, and dark matter in dwarfs
* Dwarf galaxies in the structure of the nearby cosmic web
        Search for new nearby dwarfs and blind HI surveys
        Population of dwarfs in voids, groups, and filaments
        Planes of dwarfs: phase space correlations in the Local Universe
        Relation to origin and evolution: models and simulations vs 
             observations
        Faint end of the luminosity function of galaxies

The conference will be held in Nizhnij Arkhyz (Karachay-Cherkess Republic,
Russia) at the campus of the Special Astrophysical Observatory (SAO). Due 
to the limited capacity of the SAO hotel in Nizhnij Arkhyz, the number of 
participants is limited to about 60 people. Due to a tight schedule of 
conferences in SAO, we recommend to arrive on September 29 (Sunday) and to
depart on October 5-6 (Saturday-Sunday).

Breakfasts, lunches, and dinners will be served in the observatory's 
canteen. The total cost for meals is around 10-15 Euro per day. The 
conference banquet costs about 50 Euro.

Usually the hotel provides double rooms for 900 Rubles (~12 €) per person 
per night. Very few rooms will be available as single for 1000 Rubles 
(~15 €) per night.

The conference fee is 7000 Rubles (~90 €). For undergraduate and PhD 
students the conference fee is 4000 Rubles (~50 €). It covers 
transportation expenses, coffee breaks, and workshop materials.

Venue and Weather
------------------
Nizhnij Arkhyz is situated in a valley on the bank of the mountain river
Bolshoj Zelenchuk (right-hand side) at the altitude of ~1250 m, near the
road (left-hand side of the river) to the well-known mountain resort Arkhyz
(25 km upstream). Its natural environment includes picturesque forest 
slopes, beautiful mountain rivers, and clear mountain air and supports a 
creative atmosphere for scientific meetings. Over recent years, the location 
has become quite popular and is the site of several astronomical and other 
meetings every year.

The program of the meeting will include one full-day or two half-days for
outdoor activities. These will be devoted to excursions to the SAO main 
facilities: the 6-m BTA optical telescope (15 km from Nizhnij Arkhyz at the 
altitude of 2100 m above sea level) and the RATAN-600 radio telescope (20 km
downstream from Nizhnij Arkhyz), to the ancient capital of the Alania state
(7-12 centuries), and/or to the mountain resort Arkhyz.

Next-door to Nizhnij Arkhyz there is a famous place saved as a historical
reserve. The site was the capital of the ancient Alania state developed in 
the middle of the tenth century in alliance with the Byzantine Empire. 
Several churches from the X century, the most ancient functioning church in
the Russian Federation, are kept and restored in this natural museum.

In early October, the weather usually is quite warm in daytime (around +20 C)
and chilly at night (+5-+10 C). More precise forecast can be found on the 
web-pages:
https://www.sao.ru/Weather/tnnp.html
https://www.gismeteo.ru/weather-nizhnyaya-ermolovka-149734/
https://weather.com/ru-RU/weather/today/l/RSXX5032:1:RS

Transportation to the venue
--------------------------------
The nearest airport is Mineralnye Vody (MRV) in 190 km away from SAO RAS. 
Most international flights have a connection in Moscow or St. Petersburg. 
The nearest train station is in Nevinnomyssk in 130 km far from the 
observatory. LOC will provide transportation from the airport or train 
station to SAO RAS and return back.

Visa information
----------------
Foreign citizens need a Russian visa to reach the conference.
Please, provide us with the following information to prepare the invitations 
(it could take about 1 month to receive the visa, so, please, send us the 
data before August):
1) Scanned first pages of passport which contain the photo and personal data
2) Affiliation (Institute name and its postal address, phone number)
3) Your position in the Institute
4) Dates of your visit to Russia
5) Itinerary (for example, Moscow - Mineralnye Vody - Nizhnij Arkhyz)
6) Home address
7) Name of the city, where you will get the visa

On behalf of SOC and LOC