Members of the Society are styled 'Fellows' and may use the honorific postnomen 'FRAS'. Fellowship is open to anyone over the age of 18. New Fellows are elected by the Council and elections take place six times a year (typically: February, March, May, June/July, October and December).
Membership applications can be completed and submitted through this website. You will be required to provide a reference. Reference forms can be downloaded below. The correct reference form must be uploaded to your application before it is submitted. Applications submitted without a completed reference form will not be considered.
There are two routes to becoming a Fellow of the RAS:
- Route 1 - If you know a current Fellow personally, you may ask them to nominate you. University-based applicants (particularly students who are studying an astronomy and/or geophysics related subject) may be able to approach a local Point of Contact.
Download the Route 1 Reference form.
Click here to complete the Route 1 Application Form.
- Route 2 - what makes a suitable Route 2 reference provider.
If you do not know a current Fellow you will need to obtain a reference from an independent person who knows you, and who knows about your engagement with, and contributions to, astronomy and/or geophysics.
We will be unable to forward your application to the membership committee for review without the reference. Ideally the person supplying your reference should be someone with a professional status that the Society can easily verify, e.g. through a professional email address, or through that person’s web footprint. If the provider of the reference is a work colleague, please note that we consider line managers, and colleagues outside the applicant’s chain of management as independent for this purpose, but not colleagues who are subordinates of the applicant. Similarly, for applications from university students, we consider their supervisors, tutors, and other academic staff as independent for this purpose. In addition, we must note that family members and partners of applicants are not considered to be independent.
Finally, we emphasise that the reference provider does NOT have to be a Fellow of the Royal Astronomical Society. Existing Fellows providing a reference to anyone applying for Fellowship of the Society should encourage applicants to follow the Route 1 process.
Download the Route 2 Reference form.
Click here to complete the Route 2 Application Form.
Most successful applicants will come under one or more of these categories:
- Students enrolled on a full or part-time undergraduate or post-graduate course related to astronomy or geophysics, which leads to a formal qualification.
- People with a professional interest in astronomy, geophysics or a related science, holding a relevant professional qualification (e.g. degree) and/or currently or formerly engaged in work (whether paid or not) related to astronomy or geophysics (e.g. research, industry, teaching, media), which requires a professional qualification or experience.
- Amateurs who have demonstrated a strong commitment to astronomy or geophysics, for example through membership of another major society and/or practical achievements and/or formal study.
- Other professionals and supporters who may not meet any other criterion but who serve (or have served) the wider interests of the Society, and/or astronomy and geophysics in general, and are committed to furthering the aims of the Society.
All elections are at the discretion of Council. Meeting these criteria does not automatically guarantee admission to Fellowship.
Successful applicants are expected to adhere to the Charter, Bye-laws and Code of Conduct of the Society and to the Universal Ethical Code for Scientists.