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Image of the star cluster NGC 3532. Many bright stars of varying colours shine against a dark red and black backdrop of space.
Getting a foot on the cosmic age ladder: using machine learning to estimate stellar ages
Researchers from Keele University have developed a machine learning technique that helps astronomers better estimate the ages of stars from the chemicals within their atmospheres. The new research will be presented at the 2023 National Astronomy...
The artist's impression shows a star being consumed by a black hole. The black hole appears red and black and glows with a red light. The star in the foreground is orange in colour and also glows.
Astronomers witness energetic switch on of black hole
A team of astronomers led by researchers from the University of Birmingham, University College London and Queen’s University Belfast have discovered one of the most dramatic 'switches on' of a black hole ever seen. They will present their findings on...
Time to act on light pollution, say leading experts at NAM conference
Action on light pollution is long overdue, campaigners will say at a panel event today (3 July) at the National Astronomy Meeting in Cardiff. The panellists call for UK governments and local authorities to put policies in place to restore our view of...
An image of part of the Sun's surface.
Solar astronomers discover ‘shooting stars’ on the Sun’s corona
A team of astronomers from several European institutions led by Northumbria University in Newcastle has discovered ‘shooting stars’ on the Sun. Observations from the European Space Agency’s Solar Orbiter (SolO) have revealed never-before-seen...
An artist's impression of a planetary system appearing in colours of orange, yellow and brown.
‘Sandwich’ discovery offers new explanation for planet formation
Scientists have made a new discovery on how small planets might form. Researchers at the University of Warwick investigated the ‘birth environment’ of planets – areas of gas and dust that swirl around a central star – known as the protoplanetary disc...
A blue and green image of the Sun generated by AI. Solar prominences are visible.
Scientists are using deepfake AI images to understand the Sun’s atmosphere
Solar scientists are using deepfake AI images to unravel the mysteries of the Sun’s atmosphere. The research, being presented at the National Astronomy Meeting this week, was carried out as part of a collaboration between Northumbria University and...
A view of the Moon rising above Earth's horizon as seen from the International Space Station.
RAS welcomes Earth Space Sustainability Initiative
The Royal Astronomical Society welcomes the launch of the Earth Space Sustainability Initiative (ESSI), announced in London today at the Global Leaders on Space Sustainability Symposium. ESSI is underpinned by a Memorandum of Principles, signed by...
Garry Hunt
RAS Fellows Garry Hunt and Guy Hurst receive national honours
Two Fellows of the Royal Astronomical Society received awards in the first Birthday Honours announced by King Charles III. Professor Garry Hunt is made an Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) for his services to Space Science and Business...
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...