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Our Milky Way's halo of hot gas is warmer to the 'south' than the 'north' because of an internal combustion engine-like effect that is compressing the gas like a piston, a new study has found. Computer simulations reveal that the Large Magellanic...

A leading figure in the study of black holes has been appointed as the new Editor-in-Chief of Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society (MNRAS), one of the world's largest and most prestigious astronomy journals. Professor Matthew Middleton...

If we're to find extraterrestrial life in the universe, astronomers have pinpointed the best places to look for it. They have identified just under 50 rocky worlds most likely to be habitable out of the more than 6,000 exoplanets discovered so far...

The first ever Astronomy Higher Project Qualification (HPQ) in the UK, piloted by the Royal Astronomical Society (RAS), is coming to an end this month. It has been a hugely successful trial as an alternative to GCSE Astronomy, increasing student...

The Royal Astronomical Society (RAS) is alarmed by the threat to ground-based astronomy posed by proposals put forward by Elon Musk's SpaceX and Reflect Orbital. SpaceX has applied to launch one million satellites to act as data centres to power...

A ground-breaking photographic exhibition highlighting the grave and deepening issue of space debris is coming to Burlington House courtyard, the Royal Astronomical Society is delighted to announce. Our Fragile Space shines a spotlight on the...

An exoplanet-hunting astronomer who specialises in the detection of Earth-like alien worlds has been awarded the 2026 Caroline Herschel Medal. Professor Dr Heike Rauer, of the German Aerospace Center (DLR) and Freie Universität Berlin, was recognised...

The Herschel Society and Royal Astronomical Society are now welcoming applications for the 2026 Caroline Herschel Prize Lectureship. The Lectureship was established to celebrate Caroline’s memory by supporting promising women astronomers early in...

We are saddened to hear of the death of Professor Dame Carole Jordan – the first female president of the Royal Astronomical Society (RAS) – who has passed away at the age of 84. Dame Carole also served on RAS Council for 22 years, was an editor of...

An open letter from UK physics teachers opposing budget cuts proposed by the Government has so far received more than 100 signatures. The Royal Astronomical Society has been encouraging teachers to put their names to the letter in response to plans...

Astronomers have long debated why so many icy objects in the outer solar system look like snowmen. Now, thanks to a new computer simulation in a research paper published in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society, Michigan State University...

The Royal Astronomical Society (RAS) has called on science minister Patrick Vallance to step in and prevent the "catastrophic damage to astronomy and space science" that would be caused by devastating proposed budget cuts. In the letter, signed by...