President of the Royal Astronomical Society
President of the Royal Astronomical Society | |
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Incumbent since 2024Mike Lockwood | |
Royal Astronomical Society | |
Member of | RAS Council |
Appointer | Elected by the Fellows of the RAS |
Term length | Two years |
Precursor | President of the Astronomical Society of London |
Formation | 1820 |
First holder | Sir William Herschel |
Website | www |
The president of the Royal Astronomical Society (prior to 1831 known as President of the Astronomical Society of London) chairs the Council of the Royal Astronomical Society (RAS) and its formal meetings. They also liaise with government organisations (including the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills and the UK Research Councils), similar societies in other countries, and the International Astronomical Union on behalf of the UK astronomy and geophysics communities. Future presidents serve one year as President Elect before succeeding the previous president.[1]
The first president was William Herschel in 1821,[2] though he never chaired a meeting. 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 of four times each. Airy was additionally appointed by Council for a partial term, so served as President a total of five times, more than anyone else. Since 1876 no-one has served for more than two years in total.
Presidents
No. | Image | Name | Start year | End year | Note | Reference |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | ![]() | William Herschel | 1821 | 1823 | [2][3] | |
2 | ![]() | Henry Thomas Colebrooke | 1823 | 1825 | [2][3] | |
3(a) | ![]() | Francis Baily | 1825 | 1827 | First term | [2][3] |
4(a) | ![]() | John Herschel | 1827 | 1829 | First term | [2][3] |
5 | ![]() | James South | 1829 | 1831 | [2][3] | |
6 | ![]() | John Brinkley | 1831 | 1833 | [2][3] | |
3(b) | ![]() | Francis Baily | 1833 | 1835 | Second term | [2][3] |
7(a) | ![]() | George Airy | 1835 | 1837 | First term | [2][3] |
3(c) | ![]() | Francis Baily | 1837 | 1839 | Third term | [2][3] |
4(b) | ![]() | John Herschel | 1839 | 1841 | Second term | [2][3] |
8 | ![]() | John Wrottesley | 1841 | 1843 | [2][3] | |
3(d) | ![]() | Francis Baily | 1843 | 1844 | Fourth term, died in office | [2][3][4] |
7(b) | ![]() | George Airy | 1844 | 1845 | Second term, appointed by RAS Council to fill the vacancy left by Baily's death | [4] |
9 | ![]() | William Henry Smyth | 1845 | 1847 | [2][3] | |
4(c) | ![]() | John Herschel | 1847 | 1849 | Third term | [2][3] |
7(c) | ![]() | George Airy | 1849 | 1851 | Third term | [2][3] |
10(a) | ![]() | John Couch Adams | 1851 | 1853 | First term | [2][3] |
7(d) | ![]() | George Airy | 1853 | 1855 | Fourth term | [2][3] |
11 | Manuel John Johnson | 1855 | 1857 | [2][3] | ||
12 | George Bishop | 1857 | 1859 | [2][3] | ||
13 | Reverend Robert Main | 1859 | 1861 | [2][3] | ||
14 | ![]() | John Lee | 1861 | 1863 | [2][3] | |
7(e) | ![]() | George Airy | 1863 | 1864 | Fifth term, resigned after one year | [2][3] |
15 | ![]() | Warren De la Rue | 1864 | 1866 | [2][3] | |
16 | ![]() | Charles Pritchard | 1866 | 1868 | [2][3] | |
17 | Russell Henry Manners | 1868 | 1870 | [2][3] | ||
18 | ![]() | William Lassell | 1870 | 1872 | [2][3] | |
19 | ![]() | Arthur Cayley | 1872 | 1874 | [2][3] | |
10(b) | ![]() | John Couch Adams | 1874 | 1876 | Second term. Last president to serve for more than 2 years in total. | [2][3] |
20 | ![]() | William Huggins | 1876 | 1878 | [2][3] | |
21 | ![]() | James Ludovic Lindsay | 1878 | 1880 | [2][3] | |
22 | ![]() | John Russell Hind | 1880 | 1882 | [2][3] | |
23 | Edward Stone | 1882 | 1884 | [2][3] | ||
24 | Edwin Dunkin | 1884 | 1886 | [2][3] | ||
25(a) | ![]() | James Whitbread Lee Glaisher | 1886 | 1888 | First term | [2][3] |
26 | ![]() | William Christie | 1888 | 1890 | [2][3] | |
27 | James Francis Tennant | 1890 | 1892 | [2][3] | ||
28(a) | Edward Ball Knobel | 1892 | 1893 | First term | [2][3] | |
29 | ![]() | William de Wiveleslie Abney | 1893 | 1895 | [2][3] | |
30 | ![]() | Andrew Ainslie Common | 1895 | 1897 | [2][3] | |
31 | ![]() | Robert Stawell Ball | 1897 | 1899 | [2][3] | |
32 | ![]() | George Darwin | 1899 | 1900 | [2][3] | |
28(b) | Edward Ball Knobel | 1900 | 1901 | Second term | [2][3] | |
25(b) | ![]() | James Whitbread Lee Glaisher | 1901 | 1903 | Second term | [2][3] |
33 | Herbert Hall Turner | 1903 | 1905 | [2][3] | ||
34 | ![]() | William Maw | 1905 | 1907 | [2][3] | |
35 | Hugh Frank Newall | 1907 | 1909 | [2][3] | ||
36 | ![]() | David Gill | 1909 | 1911 | [2][3] | |
37 | ![]() | Frank Watson Dyson | 1911 | 1913 | [2][3] | |
38 | Edmond Herbert Grove-Hills | 1913 | 1915 | [2][3] | ||
39 | Ralph Allen Sampson | 1915 | 1917 | [2][3] | ||
40 | ![]() | Percy Alexander MacMahon | 1917 | 1919 | [2][3] | |
41 | ![]() | Alfred Fowler | 1919 | 1921 | [2][3] | |
42 | ![]() | Arthur Eddington | 1921 | 1923 | [2] | |
43 | ![]() | John Louis Emil Dreyer | 1923 | 1925 | [2] | |
44 | ![]() | James Jeans | 1925 | 1927 | [2] | |
45 | Theodore Evelyn Reece Phillips | 1927 | 1929 | [2] | ||
46 | ![]() | Andrew Claude De Lacherois Crommelin | 1929 | 1931 | [2] | |
47 | Harold Knox-Shaw | 1931 | 1933 | [2] | ||
48 | ![]() | Frederick John Marrian Stratton | 1933 | 1935 | [2] | |
49 | ![]() | John Henry Reynolds | 1935 | 1937 | [2] | |
50 | Harold Spencer Jones | 1937 | 1939 | [2] | ||
51 | Henry Crozier Keating Plummer | 1939 | 1941 | [2] | ||
52 | ![]() | Sydney Chapman | 1941 | 1943 | [2] | |
53 | ![]() | Arthur Milne | 1943 | 1945 | [2] | |
54 | Harry Hemley Plaskett | 1945 | 1947 | [2] | ||
55 | William Michael Herbert Greaves | 1947 | 1949 | [2] | ||
56 | William Marshall Smart | 1949 | 1951 | [2] | ||
57 | ![]() | Herbert Dingle | 1951 | 1953 | [2] | |
58 | ![]() | John Jackson | 1953 | 1955 | [2] | |
59 | Harold Jeffreys | 1955 | 1957 | [2] | ||
60 | William Herbert Steavenson | 1957 | 1959 | [2] | ||
61 | Roderick Oliver Redman | 1959 | 1961 | [2] | ||
62 | William McCrea | 1961 | 1963 | [2] | ||
63 | Richard van der Riet Woolley | 1963 | 1965 | [2] | ||
64 | Thomas George Cowling | 1965 | 1967 | [2] | ||
65 | Donald Sadler | 1967 | 1969 | [2][5] | ||
66 | ![]() | Bernard Lovell | 1969 | 1971 | [2] | |
67 | ![]() | Fred Hoyle | 1971 | 1973 | [2] | |
68 | Donald Blackwell | 1973 | 1975 | [2] | ||
69 | ![]() | Francis Graham-Smith | 1975 | 1977 | [2] | |
70 | Alan Cook | 1977 | 1979 | [2] | ||
71 | Michael Seaton | 1979 | 1981 | [2] | ||
72 | ![]() | Arnold Wolfendale | 1981 | 1983 | [2] | |
73 | Raymond Hide | 1983 | 1985 | [2] | ||
74 | ![]() | Donald Lynden-Bell | 1985 | 1987 | [2] | |
75 | ![]() | Rod Davies | 1987 | 1989 | [2] | |
76 | Roger John Tayler | 1989 | 1990 | Astronomer: stellar evolution, galaxy evolution, plasma physics. Resigned his presidency a year early when he was diagnosed with myeloma. | [2][6] | |
77 | Kenneth Pounds | 1990 | 1992 | Space scientist, X-ray astronomer | [2] | |
78 | ![]() | Martin Rees | 1992 | 1994 | Cosmologist, theoretical astrophysicist | [2] |
79 | Carole Jordan | 1994 | 1996 | First female president Solar physicist, ultraviolet astronomer | [2] | |
80 | ![]() | Malcolm Longair | 1996 | 1998 | High energy astronomer, cosmologist | [2] |
81 | David A. Williams | 1998 | 2000 | Astrochemist | [2] | |
82 | Nigel Weiss | 2000 | 2002 | Theoretical astrophysicist | [2] | |
83 | ![]() | Jocelyn Bell Burnell | 2002 | 2004 | Radio astronomer | [2] |
84 | ![]() | Kathryn Whaler | 2004 | 2006 | Earth geophysicist | [2] |
85 | Michael Rowan-Robinson | 2006 | 2008 | Infrared astronomer | [2] | |
86 | ![]() | Andrew Fabian | 2008 | 2010 | X-ray astronomer | [2] |
87 | ![]() | Roger Davies | 2010 | 2012 | Astronomer, physical cosmologist | [2] |
88 | ![]() | David Southwood | 2012 | 2014 | Space scientist, magnetospheres | [2][7] |
89 | ![]() | Martin Barstow | 2014 | 2016 | Astronomer: white dwarfs, interstellar medium, ultraviolet astronomy | [2][1][8][9] |
90 | ![]() | John Zarnecki | 2016 | 2018 | Space scientist, spacecraft instrumentation | [10][11] |
91 | Mike Cruise | 2018 | 2020 | Astronomer, gravitational waves | [2] | |
92 | ![]() | Emma Bunce | 2020 | 2022 | Space scientist, planetary magnetospheres | [12] |
93 | ![]() | Mike Edmunds | 2022 | 2024 | Astrophysicist Abundance of the chemical elements Cosmic dust | [13] |
94 | Mike Lockwood | 2024 | 2026 | [14] |
Further reading
- Dreyer, John L. E.; Turner, Herbert H., eds. (1923). History of the Royal Astronomical Society: Volume 1, 1820–1920. London: Royal Astronomical Society.
- Tayler, Roger, ed. (1987). History of the Royal Astronomical Society: Volume 2, 1920–1980. London: Royal Astronomical Society.
References
- ^ a b "University of Leicester Professor elected President of the Royal Astronomical Society". University of Leicester. 17 May 2013. Retrieved 3 February 2015.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z aa ab ac ad ae af ag ah ai aj ak al am an ao ap aq ar as at au av aw ax ay az ba bb bc bd be bf bg bh bi bj bk bl bm bn bo bp bq br bs bt bu bv bw bx by bz ca cb cc cd ce cf cg ch ci cj ck cl cm cn co cp cq cr cs ct cu cv cw cx "List of presidents and dates of office". A brief history of the RAS. Royal Astronomical Society. Retrieved 3 February 2015.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z aa ab ac ad ae af ag ah ai aj ak al am an ao ap aq ar as at au av aw ax ay az Dreyer, John L. E.; Turner, Herbert H., eds. (1923). History of the Royal Astronomical Society: Volume 1, 1820–1920. London: Royal Astronomical Society. p. 250.
- ^ a b "Ordinary Meeting of the Royal Astronomical Society, held on November 8, 1844". Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society. 6 (9): 85.
- ^ Wilkins, G. A. (1991). "Obituary - 1908-1987 Donald Sadler". Quarterly Journal of the Royal Astronomical Society. 32: 59. Bibcode:1991QJRAS..32...59W.
- ^ Mestel, L. (1997). "A tribute to Roger J. Tayler (25 October 1929 - 23 January 1997)". Bulletin of the Astronomical Society of India. 25 (1): 143. Bibcode:1997BASI...25..143M.
- ^ "Profile: David Southwood". Astronomy & Geophysics. 53 (4): 4.10–4.11. 2012. Bibcode:2012A&G....53d..10.. doi:10.1111/j.1468-4004.2012.53410.x.
- ^ Smith, Keith. "Election results: new President and Council". Royal Astronomical Society. Retrieved 3 February 2015.
- ^ Massey, Robert (9 May 2014). "Elections 2014". Royal Astronomical Society. Retrieved 3 February 2015.
- ^ Smith, Keith (8 May 2015). "Election results 2015: new President and Council". Royal Astronomical Society. Retrieved 13 May 2015.
- ^ "Election results 2015: new President and Council". Royal Astronomical Society. 11 May 2015. Retrieved 16 May 2016.
- ^ "Election results 2019: new RAS Council". Royal Astronomical Society. May 10, 2019. Archived from the original on June 17, 2020. Retrieved June 17, 2020.
President Elect: Emma Bunce. The President Elect will serve as President Elect for one year and as President for two years.
- ^ Massey, Robert (May 12, 2021). "Election results 2021: new RAS Council". Royal Astronomical Society. Retrieved January 18, 2023.
President-elect (to take office as President from May 2022, serving on Council immediately): Prof. Mike Edmunds.
- ^ Tonkin, Sam (10 May 2024). "Space scientist becomes new RAS president". The Royal Astronomical Society. Retrieved 11 May 2024.
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- Fellow of the Royal Astronomical Society
- President of the Royal Astronomical Society (Current: Mike Lockwood)
Current |
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Former |
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Gold Medal |
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Astronomy |
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Geophysics | |
Both |
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- Astrobiology Society of Britain
- Astroparticle Physics Group
- Astrophysical Chemistry Group
- British Astronomical Association
- British Geophysical Association
- European Astronomical Society
- International Astronomical Union
- Magnetosphere Ionosphere and Solar-Terrestrial physics group
- Science Council
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- UK Planetary Forum
- UK Solar Physics group