Announcements

Prof. S. M. Razaullah Ansari and Prof. S. Zillur Rahman
Professor S. M. Razaullah Ansari, 1932-2023
The Royal Astronomical Society offers its condolences to the family, friends and colleagues of Professor Shaikh Mohammad Razaullah Ansari, who has died at the age of 90. Prof. Ansari was a well-known historian of science, physicist, astronomer and a…
The artist's impression shows a source of bright yellow-white light against the dark backdrop of space. Coming from the centre of the light source is a conical jet that is blue in colour. Faint, smaller galaxies are seen in the background of the image,
Galaxy changes classification as jet changes direction
A team of international astronomers have discovered a galaxy that has changed classification due to unique activity within its core. The galaxy, named PBC J2333.9-2343, was previously classified as a radio galaxy, but the new research has revealed ot…
Professor Mike Edmunds
RAS President writes to government about 'surrender' of R&D funding
Last week the Department of Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy returned £1.6billion of funds to the Treasury, which had previously been allocated for association to the EU's Horizon Europe programme or for domestic alternatives. Professor Mike…
Professor Gillian Wright in the workshops at the UK Astronomy Technology Centre, Edinburgh
Professor Gillian Wright CBE wins Caroline Herschel Medal
Professor Gillian Wright CBE FRSE, Director at the UK Astronomy Technology Centre in Edinburgh, is the first UK winner of the Caroline Herschel Medal, a joint award from the Royal Astronomical Society and the German Astronomical Society (Astronomisch…
An orange hued galaxy with a bright white star visible in the centre against the black backdrop of space. Fainter stars are seen surrounding the galaxy and in the background.
Next Generation Interferometric Image Reconstruction: call for papers
The new generation of radio telescope arrays, such as the upcoming Square Kilometre Array (SKA) and its existing pathfinders MeeRKAT and ASKAP (radio), as well as the Event Horizon Telescope (EHT) and the Very Large Telescope Interferometer (VLTI) (m…
The Gold Medal of the Royal Astronomical Society
Royal Astronomical Society unveils 2023 award winners
The Royal Astronomical Society is pleased to announce the 2023 winners of its awards, medals and prizes. Each year the RAS recognises significant achievement in the fields of astronomy and geophysics through these awards, encompassing different types…
RAS logo and text reading "GCSE poster competition"
GCSE Poster Competition 2023 - Sponsored by Winton
The Royal Astronomical Society invites you to present an astronomy topic of your choice as an academic style poster. Winners will receive book token prizes of 1st = £100, 2nd = £50, 3rd = £25. Some example topics are given in the guidelines but you…
Image of a star field with a red square in the centre highlighting a small group of stars.
Astronomers discover eight new super-hot stars
An international team of astronomers has discovered eight of the hottest stars in the universe, all with surfaces hotter than 100,000 degrees Celsius. The work was published in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society. The paper is based on…
Professor Gillian Wright sitting at a table with a model of JWST
Astronomers and Space Scientists Win National Honours
The Royal Astronomical Society is delighted that four astronomy and space experts were recognised in this year’s New Year Honours list. Professor Gillian Wright receives the award Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) in recognition of…
Royal Astronomical Society logo
Update on the RAS and JWST
The Royal Astronomical Society (RAS) recently wrote to the UK Space Agency, the European Space Agency (ESA) and NASA to express its concerns about the original JWST naming process, the apparent failure to investigate James Webb’s background and the d…
The Milky Way in the night sky. A silhouette of a telescope is visible in the foreground.
Three quarters of major observatories affected by light pollution
Researchers from Italy, Chile and Galicia have studied and compared the light pollution levels at major astronomical observatories across the world. The study shows that light is polluting the sky above most observatories and that immediate action is…
2022 Geophysical Journal International Student Author Award Winners announced
Three student authors, Gauthier Guerin, Paul Alberto Jarrin Tamayo and Solvi Thrastarson, have jointly won the 2022 Geophysical Journal International student author prizes. The winning authors each received a cash prize and a certificate of recogniti…