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Professor Nick Kaiser
Professor Nick Kaiser, 1954-2023
The Royal Astronomical Society would like to express its deepest sympathy to the family, friends and colleagues of cosmologist Professor Nicholas (Nick) Kaiser, who has died at the age of 68. Kaiser began his study of astronomy at the University of...
An image of the star-forming region IC348 overlaid with an image of the tryptophan molecule.
Evidence of the amino acid tryptophan found in space
Using data from the Spitzer space observatory, Dr Susana Iglesias-Groth , a researcher from The Instituto de Astrofísica de Canarias (IAC), has found evidence for the existence of the amino acid tryptophan in the interstellar material in a nearby...
Text reads "Caroline Herschel Prize Lectureship 2023." The RAS and Herschel Society logos are visible in the top right and left corners respectively.
2023 Caroline Herschel Prize Lectureship winner announced
The winner of the 2023 Caroline Herschel Prize Lectureship is Dr Marie Van de Sande! Dr Van de Sande is an astrochemist. She presently holds a Marie Skłodowska-Curie Individual Fellowship at Leeds, and in September 2023 will move to become an Oort...
An image of the Milky Way overlaid with the RAS logo and text reading "2022 Thesis Prize Winners".
2022 Thesis Prize winners announced
The RAS is pleased to announce the winners of its prizes for the best Ph.D. theses completed in the UK during 2022. Prizes are awarded annually: the Michael Penston Prize for the best thesis in astronomy and astrophysics, the Keith Runcorn Prize for...
Philip Sadler & Owen Gingerich fill up a sundial with water on the roof of the Harvard University Observatory, April 25, 1995.
Owen Gingerich FRAS, 1930-2023
The Royal Astronomical Society offers its condolences to the family, friends and colleagues of Professor Owen Gingerich, who has died at the age of 93. Born in Iowa in the United States to a Mennonite Christian family, Gingerich grew up in Kansas. He...
RAS Logo
Vacancy: RAS Diversity Support Officer: fixed-term contract
The Royal Astronomical Society is looking for a fixed term Diversity Support Officer for nine months. Term: 9 months, 0.4 FTE, £125 per day, equivalent of c. £32k pro rata. The RAS, founded in 1820, encourages and promotes the study of astronomy...
Duncan Lorimer
RAS Fellow Duncan Lorimer shares Shaw Prize
Duncan Lorimer FRAS, Professor and Interim Chair of Physics and Astronomy and Associate Dean for Research at Eberly College of Arts and Sciences at West Virginia University is a joint recipient of the 2023 Shaw Prize in Astronomy, awarded for the...
An artist's concept of the Kepler Space Telescope in space. The telescope is roughly cylindrical in shape, made of rust and silver coloured materials. Many stars can be seen in the background, as well as the Sun and Earth-Moon system.
Astronomers discover last planets seen by Kepler Space Telescope
Astronomers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and the University of Wisconsin at Madison, with the help of citizen scientists, have discovered the last three planets that the Kepler Space Telescope gazed upon before going dark. The...
Photo of Astronet Roadmap document
RAS welcomes Astronet roadmap for 12 years of European astronomy
Astronet is a network of European funding agencies and research organisations, working together on international strategic planning for astronomy. The network has now published a roadmap for European astronomy from 2022-2035. Teams of leading...
Professor Brian Warner in ceremonial robes after receiving the award of DSc (honoris causa) from the University of Cape Town in 2009
Brian Warner, 1939-2023
The RAS offers its condolences to the family, friends and colleagues of Professor Brian Warner, who has died at the age of 83. He was one of the most distinguished astronomers in South Africa, and his name is synonymous with astronomy at the...
Image of light pollution campaigner Bob Mizon
Bob Mizon MBE FRAS, 1946-2023
The Royal Astronomical Society is sorry to hear of the recent death of leading light pollution campaigner Bob Mizon. A talented amateur astronomer, he helped to establish the Commission for Dark Skies and his work received global recognition. Mizon...
This artist's impression of a quasar shows a bright orange and white disc of material centred around a small black circle. A jet of light emanates from this circle, white and blue in colour.
An X-ray look at the heart of powerful quasars
Researchers have observed the X-ray emission of the most luminous quasar seen in the last 9 billion years of cosmic history, known as SMSS J114447.77-430859.3, or J1144 for short. The new perspective sheds light on the inner workings of quasars and...