Royal Astronomical Society

This article is about the British Society. For the Canadian Society, see Royal Astronomical Society of Canada.

Entrance to the Royal Astronomical Society at Burlington House, London

The Royal Astronomical Society (RAS) is a learned society that began as the Astronomical Society of London in 1820 to support astronomical research (mainly carried on at the time by 'gentleman astronomers' rather than professionals). It became the Royal Astronomical Society in 1831 on receiving its Royal Charter from William IV. A Supplemental Charter in 1915 opened up the fellowship to women. It is the UK adhering organisation to the International Astronomical Union and a member of the Science Council, and encourages and promotes the study of astronomy, solar-system science, geophysics and closely related branches of science. Meetings are held in Burlington House, in Piccadilly, London and across the United Kingdom (UK). They are involved in the production of astronomical journals and periodicals. The society has over 3000 members, around a third of whom live outside the UK. In addition, those members of the public who have an interest in astronomy and geophysics and wish to support the work of the society may become Friends of the RAS.

Publications

One of the major activities of the RAS is publishing refereed journals. It publishes two primary research journals, the Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society in astronomy and (in association with the Deutsche Geophysikalische Gesellschaft) the Geophysical Journal International in geophysics. It also publishes the magazine A&G which includes reviews and other articles of wide scientific interest in a 'glossy' format. The full list of journals published (both currently and historically) by the RAS, with abbreviations as used for the NASA ADS bibliographic codes is:

• Memoirs of the Royal Astronomical Society (MmRAS): 1822–1977
• Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society (MNRAS): Since 1827
• Geophysical Supplement to Monthly Notices (MNRAS): 1922–1957
• Geophysical Journal (GeoJ): 1958–1988
• Geophysical Journal International (GeoJI): Since 1989 (volume numbering continues from GeoJ)
• Quarterly Journal of the Royal Astronomical Society (QJRAS): 1960–1996
• Astronomy & Geophysics (A&G): Since 1997 (volume numbering continues from QJRAS)

Fellowship

Members of the RAS are styled fellows, and may use the postnominals 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. 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 of the Royal Astronomical Society

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 regular meetings. Ordinary meetings featuring lectures about research topics in astronomy and geophysics are normally held in Burlington House in London on the second Friday of every month from October through to May. Reports of the meetings appear in The Observatory magazine.

Scientific discussion meetings about particular research topics are held on the day of the ordinary meetings. These allow several speakers to present new research results and experts to present reviews of scientific fields. Discussion meetings on two different topics within astronomy and geophysics frequently take place in parallel at different locations within Burlington House.

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

The Society also sponsors the National Astronomy Meeting, a week-long general conference of professional astronomers, normally held each spring at a university campus in the United Kingdom.

The Society holds occasional lunchtime public lectures in Central London aimed at a general, non-specialist, audience.

Library

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.

Education

The society promotes astronomy to members of the general public through their 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:

• The Astrobiology Society of Britain
• The Astroparticle Physics Group (with the Institute of Physics)
• The Astrophysical Chemistry Group (with the Royal Society of Chemistry)
• The British Geophysical Association (with the Geological Society of London)
• The Magnetosphere Ionosphere and Solar-Terrestrial group (generally known by the acronym MIST)
• The UK Planetary Forum
• The UK Solar Physics group

Presidents

David Southwood as President of the Royal Astronomical Society

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. Since 1901 the post has had a term of office of two years. Below is a list of all presidents since the society was formed in 1821.

2000-present

• 2014- Martin Barstow
• 2012–2014 David Southwood
• 2010–2012 Roger Davies
• 2008–2010 Andrew Fabian
• 2006–2008 Michael Rowan-Robinson
• 2004–2006 Kathryn Whaler
• 2002–2004 Jocelyn Bell Burnell
• 2000–2002 Nigel Weiss

1899–2000

• 1998–2000 David Williams
• 1996–1998 Malcolm Longair
• 1994–1996 Carole Jordan
• 1992–1994 Martin Rees
• 1990–1992 Kenneth Pounds
• 1989–1990 Roger John Tayler
• 1987-1989 Richard D. Davies
• 1985–1987 Donald Lynden-Bell
• 1983-1985 Raymond Hide
• 1981–1983 Arnold Wolfendale
• 1979–1981 Michael Seaton
• 1977-1979 Alan Cook
• 1975–1977 Francis Graham-Smith
• 1973–1975 Donald Blackwell
• 1971–1973 Fred Hoyle
• 1969–1971 Bernard Lovell
• 1967-1969 Donald Sadler
• 1965–1967 Thomas George Cowling
• 1963–1965 Richard van der Riet Woolley
• 1961–1963 William McCrea
• 1959–1961 Roderick Oliver Redman
• 1957–1959 William Herbert Steavenson
• 1955–1957 Harold Jeffreys
• 1953–1955 Harold Spencer Jones
• 1951–1953 Herbert Dingle
• 1949–1951 William Marshall Smart
• 1947-1949 William Michael Herbert Greaves
• 1945–1947 Harry Hemley Plaskett
• 1943–1945 Arthur Milne
• 1941-1943 Sydney Chapman
• 1939–1941 Henry Crozier Keating Plummer
• 1937–1939 Harold Spencer Jones
• 1935–1937 John Henry Reynolds
• 1933–1935 Frederick John Marrian Stratton
• 1931-1933 Harold Knox-Shaw
• 1929–1931 Andrew Claude De Lacherois Crommelin
• 1927–1929 Theodore Evelyn Reece Phillips
• 1925–1927 James Jeans
• 1923–1925 John Louis Emil Dreyer
• 1921–1923 Arthur Eddington
• 1919–1921 Alfred Fowler
• 1917–1919 Percy Alexander MacMahon
• 1915–1917 Ralph Allen Sampson
• 1913–1915 Edmond Herbert Grove-Hills
• 1911–1913 Frank Watson Dyson
• 1909–1911 David Gill
• 1907-1909 Hugh Frank Newall
• 1905-1907 William Maw
• 1903–1905 Herbert Hall Turner
• 1901–1903 James Whitbread Lee Glaisher
• 1900–1901 Edward Ball Knobel
• 1899–1900 George Darwin

1821–1899

• 1897–1899 Robert Stawell Ball
• 1895–1897 Andrew Ainslie Common
• 1893–1895 William de Wiveleslie Abney
• 1892–1893 Edward Ball Knobel
• 1890–1892 James Francis Tennant
• 1888–1890 William Christie
• 1886–1888 James Whitbread Lee Glaisher
• 1884–1886 Edwin Dunkin
• 1882–1884 Edward Stone
• 1880–1882 John Russell Hind
• 1878–1880 Lord Lindsay
• 1876–1878 William Huggins
• 1874–1876 John Couch Adams
• 1872–1874 Arthur Cayley
• 1870–1872 William Lassell
• 1868–1870 Admiral Manners
• 1866–1868 Charles Pritchard
• 1864–1866 Warren De la Rue
• 1863–1864 George Airy
• 1861–1863 John Lee
• 1859–1861 Reverend Robert Main
• 1857–1859 George Bishop
• 1855–1857 Manuel John Johnson
• 1853–1855 George Airy
• 1851–1853 John Couch Adams
• 1849–1851 George Airy
• 1847–1849 John Herschel
• 1845–1847 William Henry Smyth
• 1843–1845 Francis Baily
• 1841–1843 John Wrottesley
• 1839–1841 John Herschel
• 1837–1839 Francis Baily
• 1835–1837 George Airy
• 1833–1835 Francis Baily (4 years)
• 1831–1833 John Brinkley
• 1829–1831 James South
• 1827–1829 John Herschel
• 1825–1827 Francis Baily
• 1823–1825 Henry Thomas Colebrooke
• 1821–1823 William Herschel (first president)

Medals

Asaph Hall's Gold Medal

The highest award of the Royal Astronomical Society is its Gold Medal. Among the recipients best known to the general public are Albert Einstein in 1926, and Stephen Hawking in 1985.

Other awards include the Eddington Medal, the Herschel Medal, the Chapman Medal, the Price Medal and the Jackson-Gwilt Medal. Lectureships include the Harold Jeffreys Lectureship in geophysics, the George Darwin Lectureship in astronomy, and the Gerald Whitrow Lectureship in cosmology.

Other activities

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

See also

• Gold Medal of the Royal Astronomical Society
• Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society

External links

• The Royal Astronomical Society
• List of Gold Medal recipients
• Astronomy and Geophysics
• Geophysical Journal International
• Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
• The Astrobiology Society of Britain
• The Astrophysical Chemistry Group
• The British Geophysical Association
• Magnetosphere Ionosphere and Solar-Terrestrial
• UK Planetary Forum
• UK Solar Physics