Royal Astronomical Society

Last updated
Royal Astronomical Society
AbbreviationRAS
Formation10 March 1820;204 years ago (1820-03-10)
Type NGO, learned society
Legal status Registered charity
PurposeTo promote the sciences of astronomy & geophysics
Professional title
Fellow of the Royal Astronomical Society (FRAS)
Headquarters Burlington House
Location
Coordinates 51°30′32″N0°8′22″W / 51.50889°N 0.13944°W / 51.50889; -0.13944
King Charles III [1]
President
 Mike Lockwood
Executive Director
Philip Diamond [2]
Website www.ras.ac.uk
Formerly called
Astronomical Society of London (1820–31)

The Royal Astronomical Society (RAS) is a learned society and charity that encourages and promotes the study of astronomy, solar-system science, geophysics and closely related branches of science. [3] Its headquarters are in Burlington House, on Piccadilly in London. The society has over 4,000 members, known as fellows, most of whom are professional researchers or postgraduate students. [3] Around a quarter of Fellows live outside the UK. [3]

Contents

The society holds monthly scientific meetings in London, and the annual National Astronomy Meeting at varying locations in the British Isles. The RAS publishes the scientific journals Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society , Geophysical Journal International and RAS Techniques and Instruments, along with the trade magazine Astronomy & Geophysics .

The RAS maintains an astronomy research library, engages in public outreach and advises the UK government on astronomy education. The society recognises achievement in astronomy and geophysics by issuing annual awards and prizes, with its highest award being the Gold Medal of the Royal Astronomical Society. The RAS is the UK adhering organisation to the International Astronomical Union and a member of the UK Science Council.

History

The society was founded in 1820 as the Astronomical Society of London to support astronomical research. At that time, most members were 'gentleman astronomers' rather than professionals. It became the Royal Astronomical Society in 1831 on receiving a Royal Charter from William IV.

In 1846 the RAS absorbed the Spitalfields Mathematical Society, which had been founded in 1717 but was suffering from a decline in membership and dwindling finances. The nineteen remaining members of the mathematical society were given free lifetime membership of the RAS; in exchange, their society's extensive library was donated to the RAS. [4]

Between 1835 and 1916 women were not allowed to become fellows, but Anne Sheepshanks, Lady Margaret Lindsay Huggins, Agnes Clerke, Annie Jump Cannon and Williamina Fleming were made honorary members. In 1886 Isis Pogson was the first woman to attempt election as a fellow of the RAS, being nominated (unsuccessfully) by her father and two other fellows. All fellows had been male up to this time and her nomination was withdrawn when lawyers claimed that under the provisions of the society's royal charter, fellows were only referred to as he and as such had to be men. A Supplemental Charter in 1915 opened up fellowship to women. On 14 January 1916, Mary Adela Blagg, Ella K Church, A Grace Cook, Irene Elizabeth Toye Warner and Fiammetta Wilson were the first five women to be elected to Fellowship. [5] [6]

Publications

One of the major activities of the RAS is publishing refereed journals. It publishes three primary research journals: Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society for topics in astronomy; Geophysical Journal International for topics in geophysics (in association with the Deutsche Geophysikalische Gesellschaft); and RAS Techniques & Instruments for research methods in those disciplines. The society also publishes a trade magazine for members, Astronomy & Geophysics .

The history of journals published by the RAS (with abbreviations used by the Astrophysics Data System [7] ) is:

Membership

Fellows

Full members of the RAS are styled Fellows, and may use the post-nominal letters FRAS. Fellowship is open to anyone over the age of 18 who is considered acceptable to the society. As a result of the society's foundation in a time before there were many professional astronomers, no formal qualifications are required. However, around three quarters of fellows are professional astronomers or geophysicists. Most of the other fellows are postgraduate students studying for a PhD in those fields, but there are also advanced amateur astronomers, historians of science who specialise in those disciplines, and other related professionals. The society acts as the professional body for astronomers and geophysicists in the UK and fellows may apply for the Science Council's Chartered Scientist status through the society. The fellowship passed 3,000 in 2003.

Friends

In 2009 an initiative was launched for those with an interest in astronomy and geophysics but without professional qualifications or specialist knowledge in the subject. Such people may join the Friends of the RAS, which offers popular talks, visits and social events.

Meetings

The Society organises an extensive programme of meetings:

The biggest RAS meeting each year is the National Astronomy Meeting, a major conference of professional astronomers. It is held over 4–5 days each spring or early summer, usually at a university campus in the United Kingdom. Hundreds of astronomers attend each year.

More frequent smaller 'highlight' meetings feature lectures about research topics in astronomy and geophysics, often given by winners of the society's awards. They are normally held in Burlington House in London on the afternoon of the second Friday of each month from October to May. The talks are intended to be accessible to a broad audience of astronomers and geophysicists, and are free for anyone to attend (not just members of the society). Formal reports of the meetings are published in The Observatory magazine. [10]

Specialist discussion meetings are held on the same day as each highlight meeting. These are aimed at professional scientists in a particular research field, and allow several speakers to present new results or reviews of scientific fields. Usually two discussion meetings on different topics (one in astronomy and one in geophysics) take place simultaneously at different locations within Burlington House, prior to the day's highlight meeting. They are free for members of the society, but charge a small entry fee for non-members. [10]

The RAS holds a regular programme of public lectures aimed at a general, non-specialist, audience. These are mostly held on Tuesdays once a month, with the same talk given twice: once at lunchtime and once in the early evening. The venues have varied, but are usually in Burlington House or another nearby location in central London. The lectures are free, though some popular sessions require booking in advance. [11]

The society occasionally hosts or sponsors meetings in other parts of the United Kingdom, often in collaboration with other scientific societies and universities.

Library

The Royal Astronomical Society at the University of London History Day, 2016. Royal Astronomical Society at History Day 2016.jpg
The Royal Astronomical Society at the University of London History Day, 2016.

The Royal Astronomical Society has a more comprehensive collection of books and journals in astronomy and geophysics than the libraries of most universities and research institutions. The library receives some 300 current periodicals in astronomy and geophysics and contains more than 10,000 books from popular level to conference proceedings. Its collection of astronomical rare books is second only to that of the Royal Observatory in Edinburgh in the UK. The RAS library is a major resource not just for the society but also the wider community of astronomers, geophysicists, and historians. [12]

Education

The society promotes astronomy to members of the general public through its outreach pages for students, teachers, the public and media researchers. The RAS has an advisory role in relation to UK public examinations, such as GCSEs and A Levels.

Associated groups

The RAS sponsors topical groups, many of them in interdisciplinary areas where the group is jointly sponsored by another learned society or professional body:

Presidents

The first person to hold the title of President of the Royal Astronomical Society was William Herschel, though he never chaired a meeting, and since then the post has been held by many distinguished astronomers. The post has generally had a term of office of two years, but some holders resigned after one year e.g. due to poor health. Francis Baily and George Airy were elected a record four times each. Baily's eight years in the role are a record (Airy served for seven). Since 1876 no one has served for more than two years in total.

The current president is Mike Lockwood, who began his term in May 2024 and will serve for two years. [13]

Awards and prizes

The Gold Medal of the Royal Astronomical Society awarded to Asaph Hall Asaph Hall Gold Medal.jpg
The Gold Medal of the Royal Astronomical Society awarded to Asaph Hall

The highest award of the Royal Astronomical Society is its Gold Medal, which can be awarded for any purpose but most frequently recognises extraordinary lifetime achievement. [14] Among the recipients best known to the general public are Albert Einstein in 1926, and Stephen Hawking in 1985.

Other awards are for particular topics in astronomy or geophysics research, which include the Eddington Medal, the Herschel Medal, the Chapman Medal and the Price Medal. Beyond research, there are specific awards for school teaching (Patrick Moore Medal), public outreach (Annie Maunder Medal), instrumentation (Jackson-Gwilt Medal) and history of science (Agnes Mary Clerke Medal). Lectureships include the Harold Jeffreys Lectureship in geophysics, the George Darwin Lectureship in astronomy, and the Gerald Whitrow Lectureship in cosmology. [15] Each year, the society grants a handful of free memberships for life (termed honorary fellowship) to prominent researchers resident outside the UK. [16]

Other activities

The council room at the RAS Royal Astronomical Society - Council Room.jpg
The council room at the RAS

The society occupies premises at Burlington House, London, where a library and meeting rooms are available to fellows and other interested parties. The society represents the interests of astronomy and geophysics to UK national and regional, and European government and related bodies, and maintains a press office, through which it keeps the media and the public at large informed of developments in these sciences. The society allocates grants to worthy causes in astronomy and geophysics, and assists in the management of the Paneth Trust. [17]

See also

Related Research Articles

The British Geophysical Association (BGA) is a joint association of the Royal Astronomical Society and the Geological Society of London, which advances the interests of geophysics and geophysicists within the UK. It aims to promote the subject of geophysics and strengthen the ties between the geological and geophysical communities within the UK by holding meetings and courses, by encouraging the publication geophysical research, and by such other means as are deemed appropriate to an Association by its parent societies.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gold Medal of the Royal Astronomical Society</span> Award

The Gold Medal of the Royal Astronomical Society is the highest award given by the Royal Astronomical Society (RAS). The RAS Council have "complete freedom as to the grounds on which it is awarded" and it can be awarded for any reason. Past awards have been given for "outstanding personal researches in the fields of astronomy and geophysics" as well as general contributions to astronomy and geophysics "that may be made through leadership in research programmes, through education and through scientific administration". It has been awarded both for research that has taken a lifetime, and for specific pieces of research.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Agnes Mary Clerke</span> Irish astronomer

Agnes Mary Clerke was an Irish astronomer and writer, mainly in the field of astronomy. She was born in Skibbereen, County Cork, Ireland, and died in London.

The Eddington Medal is awarded by the Royal Astronomical Society for investigations of outstanding merit in theoretical astrophysics. It is named after Sir Arthur Eddington. First awarded in 1953, the frequency of the prize has varied over the years, at times being every one, two or three years. Since 2013 it has been awarded annually.

<i>Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society</i> Peer-reviewed scientific journal

Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society (MNRAS) is a peer-reviewed scientific journal in astronomy, astrophysics and related fields. It publishes original research in two formats: papers and letters. MNRAS publishes more articles per year than any other astronomy journal.

The Jackson-Gwilt Medal is an award that has been issued by the Royal Astronomical Society (RAS) since 1897. The original criteria were for the invention, improvement, or development of astronomical instrumentation or techniques; for achievement in observational astronomy; or for achievement in research into the history of astronomy. In 2017, the history of astronomy category was removed for subsequent awards and was transferred to a new award, the Agnes Mary Clerke Medal.

Dame Carole Jordan,, is a British physicist, astrophysicist, astronomer and academic. Currently, she is Professor Emeritus of Astrophysics at the University of Oxford and Emeritus Fellow at Somerville College, Oxford. From 1994 to 1996, she was President of the Royal Astronomical Society; she was the first woman to hold this appointment. She won the Gold Medal of the Royal Astronomical Society in 2005; she was only the third female recipient following Caroline Herschel in 1828 and Vera Rubin in 1996. She was head of the Rudolf Peierls Centre for Theoretical Physics at the University of Oxford from 2003 to 2004 and 2005 to 2008, and was one of the first female professors in Astronomy in Britain. She was made a Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire in 2006 for services to physics and astronomy.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Annie S. D. Maunder</span> British astronomer (1868–1947)

Annie Scott Dill Maunder was an Irish-British astronomer, who recorded the first evidence of the movement of sunspot emergence from the poles toward the equator over the Sun's 11-year cycle. She was one of the leading astronomers of her time, but because of her gender, her contribution was often underplayed at the time. In 1916 she was elected to the Royal Astronomical Society, 21 years after being refused membership because of her gender.

Philip Christopher England FRS is a British geophysicist and former Chair of Geology at the Department of Earth Sciences, University of Oxford, whose research centres upon the evolution, deformation and metamorphism of mountain ranges and the development of island arcs. He has widely used applied mathematics to model mountain building, proving that they behave as extremely viscous fluids.

The Herschel Medal is awarded by the Royal Astronomical Society (RAS) for "investigations of outstanding merit in observational astrophysics". It is awarded for a single piece of work so that younger scientists can be candidates for the award. It is named after the RAS's first president, William Herschel. The medal was first awarded in 1974. From 1974 to 2004 the Herschel Medal was only awarded every three years. From 2004 the frequency was shortened to two years and from 2012 it will be awarded annually. The medal has been shared twice, in 1977 and 1986. It has been awarded 23 times to a total of 25 people, mostly from the UK.

Price Medal is a medal of the Royal Astronomical Society, for investigations of outstanding merit in solid-earth geophysics, oceanography, or planetary sciences. The medal is named after Albert Thomas Price. It was first awarded in 1994 and was initially given every three years. In 2005 this switched to every two years, and from 2014 it has been awarded every year.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Andrew Fabian</span> British X-ray astronomer

Andrew Christopher Fabian is a British astronomer and astrophysicist. He was Director of the Institute of Astronomy, University of Cambridge from 2013 to 2018. He was a Royal Society Research Professor at the Institute of Astronomy, Cambridge from 1982 to 2013, and Vice-Master of Darwin College, Cambridge from 1997 to 2012. He served as president of the Royal Astronomical Society from May 2008 through to 2010.

<i>Astronomy & Geophysics</i> Academic journal

Astronomy & Geophysics (A&G) is a scientific journal and trade magazine published on behalf of the Royal Astronomical Society (RAS) by Oxford University Press. It is distributed bimonthly to members of the RAS.

<i>Geophysical Journal International</i> Academic journal

Geophysical Journal International (GJI) is a monthly peer-reviewed scientific journal in the field of geophysics. It is published by Oxford University Press on behalf of two learned societies: the Royal Astronomical Society (RAS) and the Deutsche Geophysikalische Gesellschaft, who select and peer-review the contents.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">National Astronomy Meeting</span>

The National Astronomy Meeting (NAM) is an annual scientific conference of astronomers, usually held in the British Isles. It is sponsored and coordinated by the Royal Astronomical Society (RAS), and functions as the primary annual meeting of the society. NAM is one of the largest professional astronomy conferences in Europe, with typically around 600 delegates attending.

Isis Pogson,, was a British astronomer and meteorologist who was one of the first women to be elected as a fellow of the Royal Astronomical Society.

Michael William Feast was a British-South African astronomer. He served as Director of the South African Astronomical Observatory from 1976–1992, then became a professor at the University of Cape Town.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Steven Balbus</span> American astrophysicist (born 1953)

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John Henry Woodhouse is an English geophysicist, Emeritus Professor in the Department of Earth Sciences at the University of Oxford.

Janet G. Luhmann is an American physicist and senior fellow of the Space Sciences Laboratory of the University of California, Berkeley. She has made major contributions to a wide range of topics in planetary, solar, magnetospheric, and heliospheric physics. She is the principal investigator of the IMPACT instrument suite on the twin-spacecraft STEREO mission. IMPACT stands for In-situ Measurements of Particles and Coronal mass ejection (CME) Transients. It consists of a, "suite of seven instruments that samples the 3-D distribution of solar wind plasma electrons, the characteristics of the solar energetic particle (SEP) ions and electrons, and the local vector magnetic field."

References

  1. ↑ Tonkin, Sam (24 May 2024). "King Charles III accepts RAS patronage". Royal Astronomical Society. Retrieved 4 November 2024.
  2. ↑ "Philip Diamond to be new RAS Executive Director" . Retrieved 29 December 2019.
  3. 1 2 3 "The aims of the Society". ras.ac.uk. Royal Astronomical Society. Retrieved 12 November 2018.
  4. ↑ Cassels, J.W.S. (October 1979). "The Spitalfields Mathematical Society". Bulletin of the London Mathematical Society. 11 (3): 241–368. eISSN   1469-2120. ISSN   0024-6093.
  5. ↑ "Meeting of January 14, 1916". Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society. 76 (3): 195. 1916. Bibcode:1916MNRAS..76..195.. doi: 10.1093/mnras/76.3.195 .
  6. ↑ Bailey, Mandy (2016). "Women and the RAS: 100 years of Fellowship". Astronomy & Geophysics. 57 (1): 1.19–1.21. doi: 10.1093/astrogeo/atw037 . ISSN   1366-8781.
  7. ↑ "ADS Bibliographic Codes: Journal Abbreviations". Astrophysics Data System . Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory . Retrieved 12 June 2023.
  8. ↑ Tayler, Roger (October 1977). "Editorial: Memoirs of the Royal Astronomical Society". Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society . 181 (1): i. Retrieved 21 December 2012.
  9. ↑ Rowden, Pam (12 October 2021). "New RAS journal invites submissions and reviewers". ras.ac.uk. The Royal Astronomical Society. Retrieved 23 May 2022.
  10. 1 2 "RAS Meetings". Royal Astronomical Society. Retrieved 14 September 2018.
  11. ↑ "RAS Public Lectures". Royal Astronomical Society. Retrieved 14 September 2018.
  12. ↑ "RAS Library home page" . Retrieved 14 September 2018.
  13. ↑ Tonkin, Sam (10 May 2024). "Space scientist becomes new RAS president". Royal Astronomical Society. Retrieved 11 May 2024.
  14. ↑ "Winners of the 2015 awards, medals and prizes - full details". 9 January 2015. Retrieved 9 January 2015.
  15. ↑ "Awards, Medals and Prizes". www.ras.org.uk. Royal Astronomical Society. Retrieved 14 September 2018.
  16. ↑ "Honorary Fellowship (A)". The Royal Astronomical Society . Retrieved 2023-02-26.
  17. ↑ RAS Website "Grants for Studies in Astronomy and Geophysics"
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