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Artist's impression of the Cassini spacecraft near to Saturn..JPG
Using eclipses to calculate the transparency of Saturn’s rings
A Lancaster University PhD student has measured the optical depth of Saturn’s rings using a new method based on how much sunlight reached the Cassini spacecraft while it was in the shadow of the rings. The optical depth is connected to the...
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RAS Council 2024 nominations are now open!
Fellows of the RAS are invited to put themselves forward to run for election to the Society's governing Council, our board of trustees. You can now submit nominations for candidates, or consider having yourself nominated for the Council positions...
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Vacancy: Assistant Archivist
Job title Assistant Archivist Salary and hours £20,400 per year for 21 hours per week (pro-rated from £34,000 FTE). Contract type Part time, permanent About the Royal Astronomical Society and its Library and Archive The Royal Astronomical Society...
Professor John Zarnecki (right) receiving the Sir Arthur Clarke Award for Lifetime Achievement
Seven RAS Fellows win awards
The Royal Astronomical Society is delighted that seven Fellows of the Society have won prizes and medals, courtesy of the Sir Arthur Clarke awards (the Arthurs) and the Institute of Physics awards. Winners of the 2023 Sir Arthur Clarke Awards...
Background image of simulation of present-day matter from FLAMINGO simulation, with three insets showing detail.
Astronomers carry out largest ever cosmological computer simulation
An international team of astronomers has carried out what is believed to be the largest ever cosmological computer simulation, tracking not only dark but also ordinary matter (such as planets, stars and galaxies), giving us a glimpse into how our...
Portrait of Bradley Lewis holding his degree certificate
Bradley Lewis wins Patricia Tompkins Undergraduate Prize
The Royal Astronomical Society is pleased to announce that the winner of the 2023 Patricia Tomkins Undergraduate Prize is Bradley Lewis of the Astrophysics Research Institute at Liverpool John Moores University. Bradley won the £500 prize for his...
Artist's concept of the LiteBIRD mission in space
RAS welcomes UK joining LiteBIRD mission
The Royal Astronomical Society welcomes the UK Government decision to join the Japanese-led LiteBIRD mission, which will analyse the residual radiation from the Big Bang to determine whether the current model for the expansion of the Universe is...
RAS welcomes UK association to Horizon Europe and Copernicus
The Royal Astronomical Society (RAS) welcomes today’s announcement of a deal to secure UK association to Horizon Europe, the €95.5 bn (£82 bn) European Union scientific research initiative, and to enable full UK access to data from the Copernicus...
Lord Rees of Ludlow
Lord Rees and Professor Michele Dougherty win Royal Society medals
The Royal Astronomical Society congratulates Lord Rees of Ludlow, who has been awarded the Royal Society Copley Medal, and Professor Michele Dougherty of Imperial College London, who has won the Bakerian Medal and Lecture. The Copley Medal was first...
An artist's impression of a T Tauri star. The star appears in colours of red, purple, orange and yellow, and is obscured by dust clouds.
First observational evidence of gamma-ray emission in young Sun-like stars
A team of scientists from Argentina and Spain have reported the first observational evidence that a type of young low-mass star, known as T Tauri stars, are capable of emitting gamma radiation. The study is published in Monthly Notices of the Royal...
An image of a blue night sky with a single meteor visible in the centre of the frame.
Perseid meteor shower to light up August night sky
This year the Perseid meteor shower reaches its peak on the night of 12-13 August, giving skywatchers a potentially impressive summer treat. The meteors are best viewed from the northern hemisphere, and in ideal conditions with no clouds observers...
An image of two merging galaxies. Both are light blue and cream in colour. Faint stars are seen in the background.
Galaxy mergers shed light on galactic evolution model
An Australian astronomer has solved a century-old mystery regarding how galaxies evolve from one type to another. The same study shows that the Milky Way, the galaxy we live in, was not always a spiral. The work by Professor Alister Graham from...