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.^[1] Meetings are held in Burlington House, in Picadilly, London and across the United Kingdom. They are also involved in the production of astronomical journals and periodicals. The Society has over 3000 members^[1], around a third of whom live outside the United Kingdom. The Royal Astronomical Society of Canada is the Canadian equivalent of the British Royal Astronomical Society, which began informally in the 1800s, but received a royal charter in 1903 from King Edward VII. The society incorporated nationally in 1968, prior to which its incorporation was limited to Ontario. ... A learned society is a society that exists to promote an academic discipline or group of disciplines. ... This article is about the capital of England and the United Kingdom. ... 1820 was a leap year starting on Saturday (see link for calendar). ... For other uses, see Astronomy (disambiguation). ... A gentleman scientist was a scientist with a private income who could pursue scientific study independently as he wished without excessive external financial pressures, in the days before large-scale government funding was available, up to the Victorian era, especially in England. ... Leopold I 1831 (MDCCCXXXI) was a common year starting on Saturday (see link for calendar). ... For the ship of the same name, see Royal Charter (ship). ... William IV (William Henry; 21 August 1765 – 20 June 1837) was King of the United Kingdom and of Hanover from 26 June 1830 until his death. ... Year 1915 (MCMXV) was a common year starting on Friday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar (or a common year starting on Thursday[1] of the 13-day-slower Julian calendar). ... Logo of the IAU The International Astronomical Union (French: Union astronomique internationale) unites national astronomical societies from around the world. ... The Science Council is the umbrella body for scientific professional institutes and learned societies in the UK. Together, the member organisations represent over 400,000 scientists. ... Burlington House is a courtyard building off Picadilly in London. ... Piccadilly is a major London street, running from Hyde Park Corner in the west to Piccadilly Circus in the east. ... This article is about the capital of England and the United Kingdom. ...

Publications

One of the major activities of the RAS is publishing refereed journals. It currently publishes two world-leading primary research journals, MNRAS in astronomy and (in association with the Deutsche Geophysikalische Gesellschaft) GeoJI in geophysics, and A&G, which publishes review and other articles of wide 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: The German Geophysical Society (German: Deutsche Geophysikalische Gesellschaft, DGG) is a society for geophysics in Germany; it was founded in 1922 in Leipzig, Germany on the initiative of the great seismologist Emil Wiechert, as Deutsche Seismologische Gesellschaft (German Seismological Society) but changed its name into the current one in 1924. ... This article is about the American space agency. ...

• Memoirs of the Royal Astronomical Society (MmRAS): 1822 – 1978
• 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)

Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society (MNRAS) is one of the worlds leading scientific journals in astronomy and astrophysics. ...

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 for the first time during 2003. An astronomer or astrophysicist is a scientist whose area of research is astronomy or astrophysics. ... Geophysics, the study of the earth by quantitative physical methods, especially by seismic reflection and refraction, gravity, magnetic, electrical, electromagnetic, and radioactivity methods. ... A professional body or professional organization is an organisation, usually non-profit, that exists to further a particular profession, to protect both the public interest and the interests of professionals. ... An astronomer or astrophysicist is a scientist whose area of research is astronomy or astrophysics. ... Geophysics, the study of the earth by quantitative physical methods, especially by seismic reflection and refraction, gravity, magnetic, electrical, electromagnetic, and radioactivity methods. ... The Science Council is the umbrella body for scientific professional institutes and learned societies in the UK. Together, the member organisations represent over 400,000 scientists. ... Chartered Scientist (CSci) is a professional qualification in the United Kingdom that is managed by the Science Council. ... Year 2003 (MMIII) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

Meetings

The Society regularly organises monthly discussion meetings on topics in astronomy and geophysics, which are usually held in London on the second Friday of every month from September through to June. (Reports of the meetings appear in The Observatory.) It also sponsors the RAS National Astronomy Meeting, a lengthier meeting of professional astronomers held each spring, and occasionally meetings in other parts of the UK. The Observatory is a publication, variously described as a journal, a magazine and a review, devoted to astronomy. ...

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.^[2]

Education

The society is also involved in promoting astronomy to members of the general public through their various outreach pages for students, teachers, the public and media researchers. The RAS has an advisory role in relation to United Kingdom public examinations, such as GCSEs and A Levels GCSE is an acronym that can refer to: General Certificate of Secondary Education global common subexpression elimination - an optimisation technique used by some compilers This is a disambiguation page — a navigational aid which lists other pages that might otherwise share the same title. ... The A-level, short for Advanced Level, is a General Certificate of Education qualification in the United Kingdom, usually taken by students during the optional final two years of secondary school (Years 12 & 13, commonly called the Sixth Form), or at a separate sixth form college or further education college...

Associated Groups

The RAS sponsors a number of 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

The Institute of Physics (IOP) is Britain and Irelands main professional body for physicists. ... Royal Society of Chemistry The Royal Society of Chemistry is a learned society (professional association) in the United Kingdom with the goal of advancing the chemical sciences. ... The British Geophysical Association 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. the British Geophysical Association website. ... The Geological Society of London is a learned society based in England with the aim of investigating the mineral structure of the Earth. It is the oldest national geological society in the world and the largest in Europe with over 9000 Fellows entitled to the postnominal FGS - over 2000 of...

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 is currently offered for a period of two years. For other persons named William Herschel, see William Herschel (disambiguation). ...

Recent Presidents:

• 1992 Martin Rees
• 1994 Carole Jordan
• 1996 Malcolm Longair
• 1998 David Williams
• 2000 Nigel Weiss
• 2002 Jocelyn Bell Burnell
• 2004 Kathryn Whaler
• 2006 Michael Rowan-Robinson

Notable former Presidents: Year 1992 (MCMXCII) was a leap year starting on Wednesday (link will display full 1992 Gregorian calendar). ... The Right Honourable Martin John Rees, Baron Rees of Ludlow, FRS (born 23 June 1942) is a professor of astronomy. ... Year 1994 (MCMXCIV) The year 1994 was designated as the International Year of the Family and the International Year of the Sport and the Olympic Ideal by the United Nations. ... Dame Carole Jordan, DBE, FRS, FInstP, (born 19 July 1941) was the first ever female president of the Royal Astronomical Society. ... Year 1996 (MCMXCVI) was a leap year starting on Monday (link will display full 1996 Gregorian calendar). ... Malcolm Sim Longair is the Jacksonian Professor of Natural Philosophy (head of the Cavendish Laboratory). ... Year 1998 (MCMXCVIII) was a common year starting on Thursday (link will display full 1998 Gregorian calendar). ... Year 2000 (MM) was a leap year starting on Saturday (link will display full 2000 Gregorian calendar). ... Nigel Oscar Weiss (born South Africa, 16 December 1936) is an astronomer and mathematician, and leader in the field of astrophysical and geophysical fluid dynamics. ... Also see: 2002 (number). ... Dame Jocelyn Bell Burnell, DBE, FRS FRAS, Ph. ... Year 2004 (MMIV) was a leap year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2006 (MMVI) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Astronomer. ...

• John Couch Adams
• George Airy
• Francis Baily
• Arthur Cayley
• George Darwin
• Herbert Dingle
• Frank Watson Dyson
• Arthur Eddington
• James Glaisher
• William Herschel (first president)
• John Herschel
• Fred Hoyle
• William Huggins
• James Jeans
• Harold Jeffreys
• Edward Knobel
• William Lassell
• John Lee
• Lord Lindsay
• Bernard Lovell
• Donald Lynden-Bell
• Percy Alexander MacMahon
• Reverend Robert Main
• Admiral Manners
• William McCrea
• Arthur Milne
• Henry Crozier Keating Plummer
• Charles Pritchard
• Kenneth Pounds
• Ralph Allen Sampson
• Michael Seaton
• Francis Graham Smith
• William Henry Smyth
• Harold Spencer Jones
• William Herbert Steavenson
• Edward Stone
• Frederick John Marrian Stratton
• Arnold Wolfendale
• Richard van der Riet Woolley
• John Wrottesley

John Couch Adams (June 5, 1819 – January 21, 1892), was a British mathematician and astronomer. ... George Biddell Airy Sir George Biddell Airy FRS (July 27, 1801–January 2, 1892) was an English mathematician and astronomer, Astronomer Royal from 1835 to 1881. ... Francis Baily (April 28, 1774 – August 30, 1844), English astronomer, was born at Newbury, Berkshire. ... Arthur Cayley (August 16, 1821 - January 26, 1895) was a British mathematician. ... George Howard Darwin Sir George Howard Darwin, F.R.S. (July 9, 1845 – December 7, 1912) was a British astronomer and mathematician, the second son and fifth child of Charles and Emma Darwin. ... Herbert Dingle (1890–1978) was an English astronomer and president of the Royal Astronomical Society from 1951 to 1953. ... Sir Frank Watson Dyson (January 8, 1868 – May 25, 1939) was an English astronomer. ... One of Sir Arthur Stanley Eddingtons papers announced Einsteins theory of general relativity to the English-speaking world. ... See also James Whitbread Lee Glaisher, the mathematician James Glaisher was an English meteorologist and aeronaut (April 7, 1809 - February 7, 1903). ... For other persons named William Herschel, see William Herschel (disambiguation). ... John Herschel Sir John Frederick William Herschel (7 March 1792 – 11 May 1871) was an English mathematician and astronomer. ... Sir Frederick Hoyle, FRS, (born on June 24, 1915 in Gilstead, Yorkshire, England – August 20, 2001 in Bournemouth, England)[1] was a British astronomer, he was educated at Bingley Grammar School and notable for a number of his theories that run counter to current astronomical opinion, and a writer of... William Huggins Sir William Huggins, OM , FRS (February 7, 1824 – May 12, 1910) was a British astronomer. ... Sir James Hopwood Jeans (born Ormskirk, September 11, 1877, died Dorking, September 16, 1946) was a British physicist, astronomer and mathematician who was the first to propose the theory of continuous creation of matter in the universe. ... Sir Harold Jeffreys (22 April 1891 – 18 March 1989) was a mathematician, statistician, geophysicist, and astronomer. ... Edward Ball Knobel (October 21, 1841 – July 25, 1930) was a British business man and amateur astronomer. ... William Lassell (June 18, 1799 – October 5, 1880) was a British astronomer, born in Bolton, Lancashire, England. ... John Lee LL.D (28 April 1783-25 February 1866), born John Fiott, was an English philanthropist, astronomer, mathematician, antiquarian and barrister. ... James Ludovic Lindsay, 26th Earl of Crawford and 9th Earl of Balcarres (1847–1913) was a Victorian astronomer, politician, bibliophile and philatelist. ... Sir Alfred Charles Bernard Lovell OBE PhD FRS (born 31 August 1913, Oldland Common, Bristol) is a British physicist and radio astronomer. ... Donald Lynden-Bell (born Dover, England April 5, 1935 – ) is a British astrophysicist, best known for his theories that galaxies contain massive black holes at their centre, and that such black holes are the principal source of energy in quasars. ... Percy Alexander MacMahon Percy Alexander MacMahon (b. ... The Reverend Robert Main (July 12, 1808 – May 9, 1878) was a British astronomer. ... Russell Henry Manners (January 31, 1800 – May 9, 1870) was a British Admiral and astronomer. ... Sir William Hunter McCrea (13 December 1904 – April 25, 1999) was an astronomer and mathematician. ... Edward Arthur Milne (February 14, 1896 – September 21, 1950) was a British mathematician and astrophysicist. ... Henry Crozier Keating Plummer (October 24, 1875 – September 30, 1946) was a British astronomer. ... Charles Pritchard (February 29, 1808 – May 28, 1893) was a British astronomer. ... Kenneth Alwyne Pounds, CBE, FRS (born 17 November 1934) is Emeritus Professor of physics at the University of Leicester. ... Ralph Allen Sampson (June 25, 1866 – November 7, 1939) was a British astronomer. ... Michael J. Seaton FRS Mike (born 16 January 1923) is a highly influential mathematician, atomic physicist and astronomer. ... Francis Smith can refer to: Francis Smith (astronomer), British astronomer Francis Smith (politician), Premier of Tasmania This is a disambiguation page — a navigational aid which lists other pages that might otherwise share the same title. ... William Henry Smyth (January 21, 1788 – September 9, 1865) was a British astronomer. ... Sir Harold Spencer Jones (March 29, 1890 – November 3, 1960) was a British astronomer. ... William Herbert Steavenson (April 26, 1894 – September 23, 1975) was a British amateur astronomer. ... Edward James Stone (February 28, 1831 – May 6, 1897) was a British astronomer. ... Frederick John Marrian Stratton FRS (16 October 1881 – 2 September 1960) was a British astrophysicist and Professor of Astrophysics at the University of Cambridge from 1928 to 1947. ... Sir Arnold Wolfendale is a British astronomer. ... Sir Richard van der Riet Woolley (April 24, 1906 – December 24, 1986) was a British astronomer. ... John Wrottesley, 2nd Baron Wrottesley (August 5, 1798 – October 27, 1867) was a British astronomer. ...

Medals

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. Gold Medal awarded to Asaph Hall The Gold Medal is the highest award of the Royal Astronomical Society. ... “Einstein” redirects here. ... Year 1926 (MCMXXVI) was a common year starting on Friday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... Stephen William Hawking, CH, CBE, FRS, FRSA, (born 8 January 1942) is a British theoretical physicist. ... This article is about the year. ...

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. The Eddington Medal, named after Sir Arthur Eddington, is awarded by the Royal Astronomical Society nominally once every two years for investigations of outstanding merit in theoretical astrophysics. ... The Herschel Medal is a medal of the Royal Astronomical Society. ... The Chapman Medal is a medal of the Royal Astronomical Society. ... Price Medal is a medal of the Royal Astronomical Society. ... The Jackson-Gwilt Medal of the Royal Astronomical Society has been awarded regularly since 1897 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. ... ‹ The template below has been proposed for deletion. ... For other uses, see Astronomy (disambiguation). ... This article is about the physics subject. ...

Other activities

The Society occupies premises at Burlington House, London, where a substantial library and meeting rooms are available to fellows and, by arrangement, 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 relevant developments in these sciences. The society also allocates grants to worthy causes in astronomy and geophysics, and assists in the management of the Paneth Trust ^[3] Burlington House is a courtyard building off Picadilly in London. ...

References

1. ^ ^{a b} RAS Website "About the RAS" page; [1]
2. ^ RAS Website "RAS Library and archives; [2]
3. ^ RAS Website "Grants for Studies in Astronomy and Geophysics" [3]

See also

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

Gold Medal awarded to Asaph Hall The Gold Medal is the highest award of the Royal Astronomical Society. ... Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society (MNRAS) is one of the worlds leading scientific journals in astronomy and astrophysics. ...

External links

• The Royal Astronomical Society
• Complete list of Gold Medal recipients
• Astronomy & 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