Ian Glass looks back at the origins of telescopic observing in South Africa, 200 years ago.

The PhD student discusses how moving to China helped her rediscover her passion for science, the attraction of the ice giants, and the importance of campaigning for equality and diversity. Interview by Paul Johnson.

Rebecca Colquhoun and Ben Fernando discuss their student-led audit of ethnic minorities and the geosciences

A digest of some of the big stories from the past two months

Douglas Gough, Michael Proctor and Steven Tobias remember the South African-born astrophysicist and mathematician, a former president of the RAS

Sue Bowler summarizes the RAS Community Session 2020, usually part of the National Astronomy Meeting, but this year a successful stand-alone – and virtual – event.

National Astronomy Week is coming and Lucinda Offer and Robin Scagell want you to get ready.

Laura Driessen reviews the history of radio transient astronomy, details current investigations of a wide range of radio transients with Square Kilometre Array pathfinder and precursor instruments, and discusses what the SKA will reveal about the changing radio sky.

Leigh N Fletcher describes the international effort to launch ambitious new missions to the distant ice giants Uranus and Neptune, to provide the first comprehensive exploration of these “missing links” in our solar system.

Mark Stenhoff looks back at the life of US astronomer Frank Kameny (1925–2011), whose career-ending dismissal led to a life of gay rights activism, and explores what his legacy means for LGBTQ+ scientists today.

Sue Bowler explores the life and legacy of Sam Okoye, radio astronomer and early advocate of using astronomy for development.

The professor of helioseismology discusses her distinguished career and life during lockdown. Interview by Paul Johnson.

Ritesh Singh and Douglas Duhaime have made an open-source web simulation to study 3D distribution of galaxies in the universe out to < 200 Mpc – and they want you to use it.

Steven Phillipps looks at the fate of some RAS Fellows in the Great War.

Anton Ziolkowski and fellow organizers look back at the British Seismology Meeting 2019, which discussed events of all scales as well as new hardware and software techniques.

A digest of some of the big stories from the past two months

Manuel Scherf, Gražina Tautvaišienė, Ricardo Hueso and Anita Heward outline the organization and goals of a new global collaboration to enhance planetary research: the Europlanet Telescope Network.

Sue Bowler rereads a classic 1971 paper on plate tectonics by Dan McKenzie and John Sclater, which highlights the geophysical heritage of the RAS.

The Cambridge Deep Earth Seismology group has an exhibition at the Sedgwick Museum, Cambridge, aimed at increasing understanding of our planet and changing perceptions of geophysics – and geophysicists. Group members Jennifer Jenkins, Jess Bartlet and Sanne Cottaar tell us more.

Maria-Theresia Walach, Greg Hunt, Alexandra Fogg and Alexander Bader report on the rescheduled Autumn MIST Meeting for 2019, organized by the MIST Council, which took place in January 2020.

Anvar Shukurov and colleagues remember a theorist known for his work on stellar and galactic magnetism, who was also a prominent marine biologist.

Sue Bowler explores how the RAS 200 bicentenary outreach projects are sharing our sciences with new – and big – audiences.

Affelia Wibisono and colleagues report on XMM-Newton and Juno observations of Jupiter's magnetosphere and polar aurorae. This won the Rishbeth Prize for best student talk at the MIST session, NAM 2019.

Ben Roche's outreach project encourages young children to explore marine geophysics by introducing them to whale farts.

Robert Massey reports on how the RAS is getting to grips with the challenge of satellite megaconstellations.

A digest of some of the big stories from the past two months

John A Armstrong, Christopher M J Osborne and Lyndsay Fletcher examine how neural networks can be used to explore the nature and location of solar activity.

Jonathan Spencer Jones takes a snapshot of early astronomy in the Caribbean through the lives of two Fellows of the RAS.

Charles S Cockell reviews the eventful history and exciting future of astrobiology: the collaboration between astronomers and biologists.

On his journey from Cape Town to Oxford and now Cambridge, the exoplanet hunter has also been responsible for disproving a spurious detection. Interview by Paul Johnson.

David Jones, Jorge García-Rojas, Ondřej Pejcha and Roger Wesson report on their RAS Specialist Discussion Meeting exploring “Common envelope evolution and post-common-envelope systems”.

Zachary Dickeson and Joel Davis review current morphological observations and future questions about the existence, origin and fate of ancient oceans on Mars.

Leigh N Fletcher shares the research success and future prospects discussed at the UK Solar System Planetary Atmospheres Community Meeting 2020.

Sue Bowler chats with the organizers of the 13 March RAS Specialist Discussion Meeting “The near-Sun solar wind at solar minimum” about how they made it work for attendees in person and online – and the challenges and opportunities for our communities in the coming months.

The RAS 200 project in partnership with Girlguiding UK and the UK Space Agency is proving successful for all ages, as Sue Bowler reports.

Nigel Henbest recalls a meteoric career in science communication.

Ineke De Moortel, Isobel Falconer and Robert Stack explore the achievements and influence of Hannes Alfvén, in particular his seminal Monthly Notices paper of 1947 on the heating of the solar corona.

Philip J Armitage discusses the influence of Hermann Bondi's 1952 Monthly Notices paper on the treatment of a deceptively simple astrophysical process as it continues to inform our understanding of stars and black holes.

Thirty years of chasing the ultimate astroimage have led the amateur astronomer to professional collaborations and worldwide exposure for his stunning photographs. Interview by Paul Johnson.

Steven Phillipps looks back at the RAS at its centenary through the pages of Monthly Notices.

Binary interactions change stellar evolutionary pathways and models of stellar populations – but they are largely ignored. Here J J Eldridge outlines some recent history around the development of stellar evolution and population models, and highlights the significant differences that arise when binary interactions are included.

Chris Lintott reviews a successful modern approach to astronomical research that has surprisingly deep historical roots.

The Astronomer Royal, Martin Rees, spoke about the past and the future at the celebration of the bicentenary of the Royal Astronomical Society on 23 January 2020.

How to submit an article for publication in A&G

Robert Massey shares the action that the RAS is taking – with the help of Fellows in the newly formed Policy Group – to mitigate the effects of satellite megaconstellations on astronomical observation.

A digest of some of the big stories from the past two months

On 23 January 2020, the Royal Astronomical Society gathered in London to celebrate its bicentenary, welcomed by RAS president-elect Emma Bunce

John Dudeney, Richard Horne and Mike Lockwood remember a committed and generous scientist with an infectious love of life.

Roger Bonnet remembers a researcher who pioneered the use of space science in planetary, cometary and cosmic research, playing a vital role in European space research.

Rathindra Kumar Basu

Astronomer Royal for Scotland and inspirational solar physicist, by Lyndsay Fletcher, Nicolas Labrosse and Alec MacKinnon.

Simon Jeffery recalls a dedicated colleague whose work made stellar opacities and pulsations central to models of stellar evolution.