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Professor Gillian Wright in the workshops at the UK Astronomy Technology Centre, Edinburgh
Professor Gillian Wright CBE wins Caroline Herschel Medal
Professor Gillian Wright CBE FRSE, Director at the UK Astronomy Technology Centre in Edinburgh, is the first UK winner of the Caroline Herschel Medal, a joint award from the Royal Astronomical Society and the German Astronomical Society...
An artist's impression of a large blue-grey galaxy in space, surrounded very closely by 5 smaller satellite galaxies which appear grey in colour. Faint background stars are seen surrounding all of the galaxies.
Distant galaxy mirrors the early Milky Way
A galaxy has been discovered that mirrors the very early version of our home galaxy, the Milky Way. The galaxy, dubbed ‘The Sparkler’, is embedded in a system of globular clusters and satellite galaxies, and appears to be swallowing them as it grows...
An image of several distant galaxies in space. They appear as small different coloured circles and ovals. An image of the galaxy GHZ2/GLASS-z12 is overlaid on the image. It appears orange in colour and is circular in shape.
Astronomers confirm age of most distant galaxy with oxygen
A new study led by a joint team at Nagoya University and the National Astronomical Observatory of Japan has measured the cosmic age of a very distant galaxy. The team used the ALMA radio telescope array to detect a radio signal that has been...
An orange hued galaxy with a bright white star visible in the centre against the black backdrop of space. Fainter stars are seen surrounding the galaxy and in the background.
Next Generation Interferometric Image Reconstruction: call for papers
The new generation of radio telescope arrays, such as the upcoming Square Kilometre Array (SKA) and its existing pathfinders MeeRKAT and ASKAP (radio), as well as the Event Horizon Telescope (EHT) and the Very Large Telescope Interferometer (VLTI)...
An image of dark green and blue filaments against the dark backdrop of space. In between these filaments are tiny yellow dots. Overlaid on the image is a small circular diagram of the Milky Way galaxy.
Milky Way found to be more unique than previously thought
Is the Milky Way special, or, at least, is it in a special place in the Universe? An international team of astronomers has found that the answer to that question is yes, in a way not previously appreciated. A new study shows that the Milky Way is too...
The Gold Medal of the Royal Astronomical Society
Royal Astronomical Society unveils 2023 award winners
The Royal Astronomical Society is pleased to announce the 2023 winners of its awards, medals and prizes. Each year the RAS recognises significant achievement in the fields of astronomy and geophysics through these awards, encompassing different types...
An artist's impression of an AGN obscured by dust - it appears as a gold and yellow source of light obscured by dust and cloud.
Study finds active galactic nuclei are even more powerful than thought
A new study indicates that scientists have substantially underestimated the energy output of active galactic nuclei by not recognising the extent to which their light is dimmed by dust. The work is published in Monthly Notices of the Royal...
A bright multicoloured array of swirls. The core of the Milky Way is depicted by the darkest red blobs and swirls, with orange eddies and flows visible around the darker areas. The rest of the image is varying shades of blue and green.
Astronomers create new microwave map of the Milky Way and beyond
An international team of scientists have successfully mapped the magnetic field of our galaxy, the Milky Way, using telescopes that observe the sky in the microwave range. The new research is published in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical...
Image of a star field with a red square in the centre highlighting a small group of stars.
Astronomers discover eight new super-hot stars
An international team of astronomers has discovered eight of the hottest stars in the universe, all with surfaces hotter than 100,000 degrees Celsius. The work was published in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society. The paper is based on...
Professor Gillian Wright sitting at a table with a model of JWST
Astronomers and Space Scientists Win National Honours
The Royal Astronomical Society is delighted that four astronomy and space experts were recognised in this year’s New Year Honours list. Professor Gillian Wright receives the award Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) in recognition of...
Royal Astronomical Society logo
Update on the RAS and JWST
The Royal Astronomical Society (RAS) recently wrote to the UK Space Agency, the European Space Agency (ESA) and NASA to express its concerns about the original JWST naming process, the apparent failure to investigate James Webb’s background and the...
The Milky Way in the night sky. A silhouette of a telescope is visible in the foreground.
Three quarters of major observatories affected by light pollution
Researchers from Italy, Chile and Galicia have studied and compared the light pollution levels at major astronomical observatories across the world. The study shows that light is polluting the sky above most observatories and that immediate action is...