The American Astronomical Society (AAS, sometimes spoken as "double-A-S") is an American society of professional

astronomer An astronomer is a scientist in the field of astronomy who focuses on a specific question or field outside the scope of Earth. Astronomers observe astronomical objects, such as stars, planets, natural satellite, moons, comets and galaxy, galax ...

s and other interested individuals, headquartered in

Washington, DC Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly known as Washington or D.C., is the capital city and Federal district of the United States, federal district of the United States. The city is on the Potomac River, across from ...

. The primary objective of the AAS is to promote the advancement of astronomy and closely related branches of science, while the secondary purpose includes enhancing astronomy education and providing a political voice for its members through lobbying and grassroots activities. Its current mission is to enhance and share humanity's scientific understanding of the universe as a diverse and inclusive astronomical community.

History

The society was founded in 1899 through the efforts of

George Ellery Hale George Ellery Hale (June 29, 1868 – February 21, 1938) was an American astrophysicist, best known for his discovery of magnetic fields in sunspots, and as the leader or key figure in the planning or construction of several world-leading ...

. The constitution of the group was written by Hale, George Comstock, Edward Morley,

Simon Newcomb Simon Newcomb (March 12, 1835 – July 11, 1909) was a Canadians, Canadian–Americans, American astronomer, applied mathematician, and autodidactic polymath. He served as Professor of Mathematics in the United States Navy and at Johns Hopkins ...

and Edward Charles Pickering. These men, plus four others, were the first Executive Council of the society; Newcomb was the first president. The initial membership was 114. The AAS name of the society was not finally decided until 1915, previously it was the "Astronomical and Astrophysical Society of America". One proposed name that preceded this interim name was "American Astrophysical Society". The AAS today has over 8,000 members and six divisions – the Division for Planetary Sciences (1968), the Division on Dynamical Astronomy (1969), the High Energy Astrophysics Division (1969), the Solar Physics Division (1969), the Historical Astronomy Division (1980) and the Laboratory Astrophysics Division (2012). The membership includes physicists, mathematicians, geologists, engineers and others whose research interests lie within the broad spectrum of subjects now comprising contemporary astronomy. The annual meeting of the AAS is held in the spring and constitutes the largest gathering of astronomers, numbering over 3,000 in 2023. In 2019 three AAS members were selected into the tenth anniversary class of TED Fellows. The AAS established the AAS Fellows program in 2019 to "confer recognition upon AAS members for achievement and extraordinary service to the field of astronomy and the American Astronomical Society." The inaugural class was designated by the AAS Board of Trustees and includes an initial group of 232 Legacy Fellows. In January 2025, AAS published a statement calling on nations to ban advertising from space that can be seen from the ground amid growing concern around the launch obtrusive space advertising payloads.

Divisions

Because the field of astronomy is diverse, several divisions have been formed each of which promotes and enables a different branch of astronomy or astronomy-related science as well as working within the overall charter of the AAS. Many of the divisions hold separate meetings in addition to meeting with the main group. The divisions of the AAS, together with their main research interests, are: * The Division for Planetary Sciences (DPS) supports planetology and exploration of the

Solar System The Solar SystemCapitalization of the name varies. The International Astronomical Union, the authoritative body regarding astronomical nomenclature, specifies capitalizing the names of all individual astronomical objects but uses mixed "Sola ...

. * The Division on Dynamical Astronomy (DDA) supports research on the dynamics (orbits, evolution, and history) of astronomical systems from the Solar System to superclusters of

galaxies A galaxy is a system of stars, stellar remnants, interstellar gas, dust, and dark matter bound together by gravity. The word is derived from the Greek ' (), literally 'milky', a reference to the Milky Way galaxy that contains the Solar Sys ...

cosmological Cosmology () is a branch of physics and metaphysics dealing with the nature of the universe, the cosmos. The term ''cosmology'' was first used in English in 1656 in Thomas Blount's ''Glossographia'', with the meaning of "a speaking of the wo ...

scales. * The High Energy Astrophysics Division (HEAD) supports knowledge about high energy events,

particles In the physical sciences, a particle (or corpuscle in older texts) is a small localized object which can be described by several physical or chemical properties, such as volume, density, or mass. They vary greatly in size or quantity, from s ...

, quanta, relativistic

gravitational field In physics, a gravitational field or gravitational acceleration field is a vector field used to explain the influences that a body extends into the space around itself. A gravitational field is used to explain gravitational phenomena, such as ...

s, and related phenomena in the astrophysical universe. * The Historical Astronomy Division (HAD) supports topics relevant to the

history of astronomy The history of astronomy focuses on the contributions civilizations have made to further their understanding of the universe beyond earth's atmosphere. Astronomy is one of the oldest natural sciences, achieving a high level of success in the sec ...

as a field, and research using historical astronomical records to solve current problems in astronomy. * The Solar Physics Division (SPD) supports

solar physics Solar physics is the branch of astrophysics that specializes in the study of the Sun. It intersects with many disciplines of pure physics and astrophysics. Because the Sun is uniquely situated for close-range observing (other stars cannot be re ...

( astrophysical research on the

Sun The Sun is the star at the centre of the Solar System. It is a massive, nearly perfect sphere of hot plasma, heated to incandescence by nuclear fusion reactions in its core, radiating the energy from its surface mainly as visible light a ...

), and its interactions with the Solar System and

Earth Earth is the third planet from the Sun and the only astronomical object known to Planetary habitability, harbor life. This is enabled by Earth being an ocean world, the only one in the Solar System sustaining liquid surface water. Almost all ...

. * In 2012, a new division was formed: the Laboratory Astrophysics Division (LAD) to advance humanity's understanding of the Universe through the promotion of fundamental theoretical and experimental research into the underlying processes that drive the Universe.

Publications

* ''

Astronomical Journal ''The Astronomical Journal'' (often abbreviated ''AJ'' in scientific papers and references) is a peer-reviewed monthly scientific journal owned by the American Astronomical Society (AAS) and currently published by IOP Publishing. It is one of the ...

'' * '' Astronomy Education Review o longer published' * ''

The Astrophysical Journal ''The Astrophysical Journal'' (''ApJ'') is a peer-reviewed scientific journal of astrophysics and astronomy, established in 1895 by American astronomers George Ellery Hale and James Edward Keeler. The journal discontinued its print edition and ...

'' * ''

The Planetary Science Journal ''The Planetary Science Journal'' is a peer-reviewed open access scientific journal of astrophysics and astronomy, established in 2020. It is published by IOP Publishing on behalf of the American Astronomical Society. The founding editor-in-chief i ...

'' * ''

Bulletin of the American Astronomical Society ''Bulletin of the American Astronomical Society'' (''BAAS''; ''Bull. Am. Astron. Soc.'') is the journal of record for the American Astronomical Society established in 1969. It publishes meetings of the society, obituaries of its members, and sc ...

'' *
Research Notes of the AAS
' (scientific publication of brief communications, non peer-reviewed) *
AAS Nova
', an online publication with highlights from the research journals of the Society. *In June 2019 AAS announced that it would be the new publisher of ''

Sky & Telescope ''Sky & Telescope'' (''S&T'') is a monthly magazine covering all aspects of amateur and professional astronomy, including what to see in the sky tonight and new findings in astronomy. Other topics covered include: *observing guides for planets, ...

''. *In August 2020 AAS announced that it had acquired the inventory, author contracts and related assets of Willmann-Bell, Inc. a publisher of astronomical books, atlases and software.

Prizes

*The

Henry Norris Russell Lectureship The Henry Norris Russell Lectureship is awarded each year by the American Astronomical Society in recognition of a lifetime of excellence in astronomical research. The idea for the lectureship came from then society President Harlow Shapley in 1945, ...

, for lifetime achievement in astronomy *The Newton Lacy Pierce Prize in Astronomy, for outstanding early career in observational astronomy *The Helen B. Warner Prize for Astronomy, for outstanding early career in theoretical astronomy *The Beatrice M. Tinsley Prize, for a creative or innovating contribution to astronomy *The Joseph Weber Award, for a significant advance in astronomical instrumentation *The

Dannie Heineman Prize for Astrophysics The Dannie Heineman Prize for Astrophysics is jointly awarded each year by the American Astronomical Society and American Institute of Physics for outstanding work in astrophysics. It is funded by the Heineman Foundation in honour of Dannie Hein ...

(joint award with the

American Institute of Physics The American Institute of Physics (AIP) promotes science and the profession of physics, publishes physics journals, and produces publications for scientific and engineering societies. The AIP is made up of various member societies. Its corpora ...

), for outstanding work in astrophysics *The

George Van Biesbroeck Prize The George Van Biesbroeck Prize is an award for long-term achievements in the field of astronomy. According to the American Astronomical Society awards website; "The Van Biesbroeck prize is normally awarded every two years and honors a living indi ...

, for outstanding service to astronomy *The Annie J. Cannon Award in Astronomy (awarded in concert with the

American Association of University Women The American Association of University Women (AAUW), officially founded in 1881, is a non-profit organization that advances Justice, equity for women and girls through advocacy, education, and research. The organization has a nationwide Social net ...

), for outstanding early career by a female astronomer *the Chambliss Astronomical Writing Award for astronomy writing for an academic audience *The Beth Brown Memorial Award for exemplary poster and oral research presentation by undergraduate and graduate students *The Chambliss Astronomy Achievement Student Award for exemplary research by undergraduate and graduate students *The Chambliss Amateur Achievement Award for exemplary research by an amateur astronomer *The AAS Education Prize for outstanding contributions to astronomy education (formerly called the Annenberg Foundation Award) Similar prizes are awarded by AAS divisions. These include: *The Gerard P. Kuiper Prize (DPS), for lifetime achievement in planetary science *The Harold C. Urey Prize (DPS), for outstanding early career in planetary science *The Harold Masursky Meritorious Service Award (DPS), for outstanding service to planetary science *The Brouwer Award (DDA), for lifetime achievement in dynamical astronomy *The Bruno Rossi Prize (HEAD), for a significant recent contribution to high-energy astrophysics *The LeRoy E. Doggett Prize (HAD), for work in the history of astronomy *The George Ellery Hale Prize (SPD), for lifetime achievement in solar astronomy *The Karen Harvey Prize (SPD), for outstanding early career in solar astronomy The AAS also manages an International Travel Grant program, which any astronomer working in the US may apply to for travel to international astronomy-related conferences and other smaller grant and award programs. American Astronomical Society won the 2020 Webby People's Voice Award for Association in the category Web.

Past presidents

The following past and present members served as president of the society during the listed periods: *

(1899–1905) * Edward Charles Pickering (1905–1919) * Frank Schlesinger (1919–1922) * William Wallace Campbell (1922–1925) * George Cary Comstock (1925–1928) * Ernest William Brown (1928–1931) * Walter Sydney Adams (1931–1934) * Henry Norris Russell (1934–1937) *

Robert Grant Aitken Robert Grant Aitken (December 31, 1864 – October 29, 1951) was an American astronomer. Early life and education Robert Grant Aitken was born in Jackson, California, to Scottish immigrant Robert Aitken and Wilhelmina Depinau. Aitken atte ...

(1937–1940) * Joel Stebbins (1940–1943) *

Harlow Shapley Harlow Shapley (November 2, 1885 – October 20, 1972) was an American astronomer, who served as head of the Harvard College Observatory from 1921–1952, and political activist during the latter New Deal and Fair Deal. Shapley used Cepheid var ...

(1943–1946) * Otto Struve (1946–1949) * Alfred Harrison Joy (1949–1952) * Robert Raynolds McMath (1952–1954) * Donald Howard Menzel (1954–1956) * Paul Willard Merrill (1956–1958) * Gerald Maurice Clemence (1958–1960) * Lyman Spitzer Jr. (1960–1962) * Carlyle Smith Beals (1962–1964) * Leo Goldberg (1964–1966) * Bengt Strömgren (1966–1967) * Albert E. Whitford (1967–1970) * Martin Schwarzschild (1970–1972) * Bart J. Bok (1972–1974) * Robert Paul Kraft (1974–1976) * E. Margaret Burbidge (1976–1978) * Ivan R. King (1978–1980) * David S. Heeschen (1980–1982) * Arthur D. Code (1982–1984) * Maarten Schmidt (1984–1986) * Bernard F. Burke (1986–1988) * Donald Edward Osterbrock (1988–1990) * John Norris Bahcall (1990–1992) * Sidney C. Wolff (1992–1994) * Frank Shu (1994–1996) * Andrea K. Dupree (1996–1998) * Robert D. Gehrz (1998–2000) * Anneila I. Sargent (2000–2002) * Catherine A. Pilachowski (2002–2004) * Robert P. Kirshner (2004–2006) * J. Craig Wheeler (2006–2008) * John Peter Huchra (2008–2010) * Debra M. Elmegreen (2010–2012) * David Helfand (2012–2014) * Meg Urry (2014–2016) * Christine Jones-Foreman (2016–2018) * Megan Donahue (2018–2020) * Paula Szkody (2020–2022) * Kelsey Johnson (2022-2024) * Dara Norman (2024-2026)

References

External links

* *

Archival collections

Niels Bohr Library & Archives