Announcements

RAS Public Lecture's
RAS Free Public Lectures - dont miss out!
Have YOU wondered? Ever wondered about the universe? Where do we sit within it? What would life be like on Mars, and could we survive there? From the formation of the galaxy, the Solar System and the Earth itself, the Royal Astronomical Society want…
A portrait of Caroline Herschel with an illustration of planets in the solar system
Caroline Herschel Medal to honour women astronomers in UK and Germany
A new prize will celebrate outstanding research by women astrophysicists in the UK and Germany. The Caroline Herschel Medal, announced today by the UK government to mark the visit of German Chancellor Angela Merkel, celebrates the longstanding scient…
The RAS logo next to an image of Dr Sheila Kanani and Aine O'Brien with their awards
RAS Staff Win 'Arthurs' for Outstanding Outreach Work
Sheila and Aine receiving their awards. Credit Dr Sheila Kanani/Aine O'Brien Licence type All Rights Reserved Congratulations to o…
A nebula background image in orange and green with a logo of Burlington House in London announcing BH Lunchtime Scientist: Astrobiology 2021
Burlington House Lunchtime Scientist: Astrobiology 2021
  Burlington House Lunchtime Scientist is a free series of informal talks with GCSE and A Level students and their teachers to learn about exciting science career paths. The Royal Astronomical Society is collaborating with the Linnean Society to pr…
The partial phase of an annular solar eclipse.
Annular Eclipse 10 June 2021: viewing it safely
On Thursday 10 June, the whole of the UK will see a partial eclipse of the Sun. These are quite rare, and this one will be a significant event. That morning, the Moon will pass right in front of the Sun, blotting out up to 38% of its disc. However…
Image of Catherine Heymans
Prof. Catherine Heymans becomes Astronomer Royal for Scotland
The Royal Astronomical Society congratulates Professor Catherine Heymans, an astrophysicist at the University of Edinburgh and Ruhr University Bochum on her appointment as Astronomer Royal for Scotland. Professor Heymans is the eleventh scientist and…
Logo for UN Climate Neutral Now
Royal Astronomical Society signs Climate Neutral Now pledge
‘Net zero’ by 2050, and drastic cuts in CO2 emissions by 2030: these are the new commitments from the Royal Astronomical Society after signing the UN Climate Neutral Now pledge. The RAS joins organisations around the world in pledging rapid action in…
Orbital paths of the planets in our solar system embroidered onto black cloth.
RAS Quilt Project - an update
It's been 18 months since the launch of the RAS Bicentennial Quilt Project and although we haven't been able to complete the project by the original deadline (December 2020) we have reached an exciting milestone... A total of 100 squares have been s…
RAS Ballot Box
Election results 2021: new RAS Council
The results of the 2021 RAS elections were announced at the Annual General Meeting of the Society on Friday 14 May. The following Fellows were elected to serve on Council, the governing body of the Society. Where indicated ‘A’ designates astronomy a…
A silhouette of a tree to the left and the waxing gibbous Moon on the right.
Can you help us find the Moon Trees?
There could be as many as 15 Moon Trees in the UK – trees grown from seeds flown around the Moon by NASA astronaut Stuart Roosa on the Apollo 14 mission in 1971. But where are they now? The Royal Astronomical Society and the UK Space Agency would lov…
Dr Cosimo Inserra of the University of Cardiff
Dr Cosimo Inserra wins EAS Merac Prize
Dr Cosimo Inserra of Cardiff University has won the European Astronomical Society’s Merac Prize for Observational Astrophysics, recognising the best early career researchers. Dr Inserra is a Fellow of the Royal Astronomical Society and obtained his P…
A nan and her grandchild look up at the Moon
We Share the Same Moon - Light series
  We Share the Same Moon is a free online resource for science educators around the globe to champion the use of storytelling as a stimulus for science learning. In March 2021 we explored the theme: What is Light? A series exploring light and assoc…