NASA announced Sunday it will present new findings on a wide range of astrophysics topics at the 213th American Astronomical Society (AAS) meeting.

"NASA scientists and their colleagues using NASA research capabilities will present noteworthy findings during scientific sessions that are open to registered media representatives," the U.S. space agency said.

The new findings to be displayed include the first clear detection of a feature associated with polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) from the Spitzer Space Telescope Infrared Spectrometer in the cold space between stars.

The AAS hosted the five-day meeting, which opened Sunday in Long Beach, about 60 km south of Los Angeles, to mark the International Year of Astronomy.

More than 2,400 astronomers worldwide are scheduled to present at what is sometimes called the "Super Bowl of Astronomy." Topics to be discussed include black holes, planets and astronomy in China.

Chinese astronomers, including experts from five major Chinese institutes, will also attend the meeting to describe major telescope and space projects in China.

The AAS meeting will include the submission of more than 1,800 scientific papers, several prize lectures and a public policy address by Penny D. Sackett, the new chief scientist of Australia.

On the sideline of the meeting, a ceremony will be held to mark the start of U.S. celebrations of the 400th anniversary of Galileo's telescope, organizers said.