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A black and white portrait of Professor Sir Francis Graham Smith. He rests his chin on his hand and smiles at the camera. He is wearing glasses, a shirt, tie and blazer.
Sir Francis Graham-Smith, 1923–2025
The Royal Astronomical Society (RAS) is saddened to learn of the passing of pioneering radio astronomer Sir Francis Graham-Smith, who has died aged 102. Sir Francis was president of the RAS from 1975 to 1977 and served as the 13th Astronomer Royal...
Dr Victoria Fawcett
Quasar scientist wins 2025 Caroline Herschel Lectureship
An astronomer who specialises in dusty quasars and how they influence their host galaxies has been named as the winner of the 2025 Caroline Herschel Prize Lectureship. Dr Victoria Fawcett, a research associate at Newcastle University, was also...
Professor Dame Jocelyn Bell Burnell (left) has been appointed a Companion of Honour for services to astronomy and physics and to diversity. Three other RAS Fellows including Dennis Ashton (top right) Professor Lyndsay Fletcher and Professor Raman Prinja (bottom right) were also recognised in the King's Birthday Honours.
Ex-RAS president among four Fellows in King's Birthday Honours
Professor Dame Jocelyn Bell Burnell, a former president of the Royal Astronomical Society, is among four Fellows recognised in this year’s King’s Birthday Honours. She has been appointed a Companion of Honour (CH) – a special distinction limited to a...
The 2022 Royal Astronomical Society Gold Medal winner Professor George Efstathiou (right) and Professor John Richard Bond (left) have jointly received the 2025 Shaw Prize in Astronomy.
RAS Gold Medal winner receives 2025 Shaw Prize in Astronomy
The Royal Astronomical Society is delighted to hear that 2022 Gold Medal winner Professor George Efstathiou has jointly received the 2025 Shaw Prize in Astronomy. Professor Efstathiou, of the University of Cambridge, was recognised alongside...
Graphic promoting the RAS Awards 2026 with the Society's medals in front of a background image of the Cartwheel galaxy from JWST and NASA’s Chandra X-ray Observatory.
RAS Awards 2026: Nominations now open
The Royal Astronomical Society is now welcoming nominations for its 2026 Awards. Among them is the prestigious Gold Medal – the Society’s highest honour – which dates back more than 200 years and has previously been won by Albert Einstein and Stephen...
RAS voices concern over threats to US academic freedom
The Royal Astronomical Society has endorsed a statement highlighting "grave" concerns about threats to academic freedom and international research collaboration in the United States. It follows recent restrictions on science and scholarship by the U...
Professor Jim Wild, of Lancaster University, has been elected as President-Elect of the Royal Astronomical Society.
Space physicist becomes RAS President-Elect
A space physicist who studies the links between the Sun, the Earth and Mars has been elected as President-Elect of the Royal Astronomical Society (RAS). Professor Jim Wild, of Lancaster University, will serve in the role for 12 months, before...
Video: How and when to see Lyrid meteor shower
Stargazers will have a chance to enjoy one of the oldest known meteor showers over the next week, as the Lyrids bring their fast and bright 'shooting stars' to the night sky. Although not as plentiful as the Perseids in August or Geminids in December...
A composite image of the RAS Bicentennial Quilt (left), a patch from the quilt depicting the Lovell Telescope (top right), its companion quilt (inset), a homage to astronomer Ellen Baker’s spectacular 1876 Solar System quilt, and a photo of two children in personalised hand-crafted Martian spacesuits, which will also be on display at Jodrell Bank's ‘A Stitch in Space Time’ summer exhibition.
RAS Bicentennial Quilts to go on display at Jodrell Bank
The Royal Astronomical Society has teamed up with Jodrell Bank to invite the public to step into a tapestry of scientific discoveries with the Society's Bicentennial Quilt at its heart. 'A Stitch in Space Time', a brand-new summer exhibition from...
The final SPIRE Dark Field image map created by combining the Blue (250 micrometres), Green (350 micrometres) and Red (500 micrometres) SPIRE camera channels together, each channel stacking a total of 141 individual images on top of each other.
'Hidden galaxies' could be smoking gun in universe riddle
Astronomers have peered back in time to find what looks like a population of 'hidden' galaxies that could hold the key to unlocking some of the universe's secrets. If their existence is confirmed it would "effectively break current models of galaxy...
Dr Vishnu Varma
Computational astrophysicist awarded RAS Research Fellowship
A computational astrophysicist specialising in 3D simulations to explore the role of magnetic fields related to supernovae has been awarded an RAS Research Fellowship. Dr Vishnu Varma, a postdoctoral Research Associate at Keele University, said he...
Video: How and when to see partial solar eclipse from UK
People across the UK will be treated to the captivating sight of a partial solar eclipse on Saturday 29 March 2025. The Moon will pass across the disc of the Sun during a two-hour period, beginning shortly after 10am GMT and ending at about 12 noon...