Announcements

Dr Rebecca Smethurst wins Caroline Herschel Prize Lectureship
The winner of the 2020 Caroline Herschel Prize Lectureship is Dr Rebecca (Becky) Smethurst. Dr Smethurst is a Junior Research Fellow at Christ Church, University of Oxford. Her research accomplishments include applying state-of-the-art statistical t…
RAS Supermassive Podcast: Exploring Exoplanets out now!
Part of our bicentenary celebrations, the RAS Supermassive podcast celebrates the best of astronomy and geophysics. Join astrophysicist Dr Becky Smethurst and science journalist Izzie Clarke to hear about the latest research, the people and discover…
Professor Roger Blandford wins Shaw Prize in Astronomy
Professor Roger Blandford is the 2020 winner of the Shaw Prize in Astronomy, awarded in recognition of his seminal contributions to theoretical astrophysics. Prof. Blandford is the Luke Blossom Professor in the School of Humanities and Sciences and P…
Lockdown Learning: online space classes for preschool, primary and secondary students
During these unprecedented times the Education and Outreach team have taken their wonderful space lessons online! As schools and nurseries are closed, we are offering online interactive space sessions for preschool, primary and secondary aged studen…
Professor Margaret Burbidge FRS FRAS, 1919-2020
The Royal Astronomical Society offers its condolences to the family, friends and colleagues of Professor Margaret Burbidge, who has died at the age of 100. A member of the Society for 80 years, Margaret Burbidge was a global leader in astrophysics.…
COVID-19: Postponement of 2020 National Astronomy Meeting
In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Council of the Royal Astronomical Society (RAS) and senior management at the University of Bath have come to the difficult decision to postpone the National Astronomy Meeting (NAM 2020) conference. The confer…
COVID-19 update: closure of RAS office
The RAS has been monitoring the situation with the ongoing global outbreak of COVID-19. Our first priority is to contribute to the international public health effort to reduce and slow the spread of the new coronavirus. We have therefore taken the d…
RAS Quilt Project - an update
The RAS bicentennial quilt project officially launched at the beginning of October 2019. Since then the society has: Hosted three stitching sessions at the offices in Burlington House where participants have worked on the solar system side of the…
UPDATE: Planetarium in central London for RAS bicentenary
***UPDATE Friday 28th February: The planetarium is now closed, thank you to all those who attended*** The second half of February will see cutting-edge astrophysics and tours of the night sky come to the courtyard of Burlington House, in centra…
Royal Mail stamps celebrate RAS bicentennial
The set of eight stamps commissioned by Royal Mail for the RAS bicentennial in 2020. Robert Ball / Royal Mail Licence type All Rights Reserved…
Mary Somerville features in Google Doodle
The Google Doodle for 2 February 2020 celebrates Mary Somerville, the Scottish polymath and science writer, and with Caroline Herschel, the joint first ever woman to be made an honorary member of the Royal Astronomical Society. Born in Jedburgh…
Coming this November: National Astronomy Week to mark best view of Mars until 2033
A National Astronomy Week (NAW) will be held in the UK from Saturday 14 November to Sunday 22 November 2020. The aim of the week is to celebrate the close approach of Mars, and to give members of the public the chance to see the red planet in closeup…