The Astronomical Society of Edinburgh (ASE) is an association of amateur astronomers and other individuals interested in astronomy, which is based in

Edinburgh Edinburgh ( ; gd, Dùn Èideann ) is the capital city of Scotland and one of its 32 council areas. Historically part of the county of Midlothian (interchangeably Edinburghshire before 1921), it is located in Lothian on the southern shore of t ...

Scotland Scotland (, ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a Anglo-Scottish border, border with England to the southeast ...

. The objectives are to encourage astronomical study and observation and to increase popular interest in astronomy.

History

The ASE was founded in 1924 as the Edinburgh Astronomical Association; it changed its name in 1937. The founding president was John McDougal Field, who was also deputy to the City Astronomer William Peck at the City Observatory on Calton Hill. At that time, the honorary presidents were Peck and the Astronomer Royal for Scotland,

Ralph Allan Sampson Ralph Allan (or Allen) Sampson FRS FRSE LLD (25 June 1866 – 7 November 1939) was a British astronomer. Life Sampson was born in Schull, County Cork in Ireland, then part of the UK. He was the fourth of five children to James Sampson, a Corn ...

. Field continued to run the City Observatory after Peck's death in 1925. The painter

John Henry Lorimer John Henry Lorimer (12 August 1856 – 4 November 1936) was a Scottish painter who worked on portraits and genre scenes of everyday life. Life Lorimer was born in Edinburgh, the son of James Lorimer, who was Regius Professor of Public Law ...

was a member and vice president from 1930 to 1933. Upon his death in 1936, the ASE inherited the bulk of his estate. The ASE created the Lorimer Medal, connected to a series of high-profile public lectures. Field died in 1937, which led to an arrangement with the Edinburgh Corporation for the ASE to have a free lease of the Calton Hill Observatory and for a grant to the ASE to operate the observatory. This arrangement continued until 2009. In 1953, the ASE moved its own base and venue for its lectures and meetings from the

Royal Scottish Geographical Society The Royal Scottish Geographical Society (RSGS) is an educational charity based in Perth, Scotland founded in 1884. The purpose of the society is to advance the subject of geography worldwide, inspire people to learn more about the world around ...

at Randolph Crescent to the Calton Hill Observatory.

Affiliations

The society is a member of the

Federation of Astronomical Societies The Federation of Astronomical Societies (FAS) is an international union of astronomical societies formed in 1974 and will be celebrating its 50th anniversary in 2024. Its motto is "Supporting UK Astronomy", and there is also one member society fr ...

and is a registered Scottish charity (Charity Number SC022968).

Honorary Presidents

There are usually two Honorary Presidents, one of them the Astronomer Royal for Scotland. The current holders of the positions are: *Prof. Catherine Heymans, the Astronomer Royal for Scotland, and Professor of Astrophysics at the

University of Edinburgh The University of Edinburgh ( sco, University o Edinburgh, gd, Oilthigh Dhùn Èideann; abbreviated as ''Edin.'' in post-nominals) is a public research university based in Edinburgh, Scotland. Granted a royal charter by King James VI in 15 ...

*Prof. Andrew Lawrence, Regius Professor of

Astronomy Astronomy () is a natural science that studies celestial objects and phenomena. It uses mathematics, physics, and chemistry in order to explain their origin and evolution. Objects of interest include planets, moons, stars, nebulae, g ...

at the University of Edinburgh

References

{{Portal bar, Scotland, Astronomy, Stars, Spaceflight, Outer space, Solar System, Education, Science Amateur astronomy organizations British astronomy organisations Astronomical observatories in Scotland Calton Hill Charities based in Edinburgh Clubs and societies in Edinburgh Organisations based in Edinburgh Scientific organisations based in Scotland 1924 establishments in Scotland Scientific organizations established in 1924

History

Affiliations

Honorary Presidents

See also

References