Institutions

Royal Astronomical Society

Also Known As Astronomical Society of London (original name, 1820 to 1831)

Citation Formats

General Reference

Science Atlas. "Royal Astronomical Society." Accessed August 30, 2026. https://science.interactiveatlas.org/institutions/royal-astronomical-society.

APA Style

Science Atlas. (n.d.). Royal Astronomical Society. Retrieved August 30, 2026, from https://science.interactiveatlas.org/institutions/royal-astronomical-society

BibTeX

@misc{scienceatlas-royal-astronomical-society,
  author = {Science Atlas},
  title = {Royal Astronomical Society},
  year = {2026},
  url = {https://science.interactiveatlas.org/institutions/royal-astronomical-society},
  note = {Accessed August 30, 2026}
}

The Royal Astronomical Society is a learned society and charity that encourages and promotes the study of astronomy, solar-system science, geophysics and closely related branches of science. It was formally established on 10 March 1820, originally as the Astronomical Society of London, after fourteen men met on 12 January 1820 to discuss its creation; it received its Royal Charter in 1831. Its headquarters are at Burlington House on Piccadilly in London.

Facts

Founded Datethe subject's own account

1820-03-10 1

Founderthe subject's own account

No single founder; fourteen men meeting on 12 January 1820, including John Herschel, Charles Babbage, Francis Baily and William Pearson, with William Herschel serving as first titular president 1

Seatthe subject's own account

Burlington House, Piccadilly, London, United Kingdom 1

Cross-Tradition Connections