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Institutional History
AbstractPast PresidentsImportant DatesPlacesSubjectsCitationsRelationships
PeopleInstitutionsResources
Archival as AuthorArchival as SubjectPublished as AuthorAmerican Astronomical Society
Dates
1899 – present
Authorized Form of Name
American Astronomical Society
Additional Forms of Names
AAS
American Astronomy Society
Astronomical and Astrophysical Society of America
Institutional History
Abstract
The American Astronomical Society was founded in 1899 as the Astronomical and Astrophysical Society of America. The name was changed in 1914. Its purpose is the advancement of astronomy and closely related branches of science. The Society became an Associate Member of the American Institute of Physics in 1958 and has been a full Member Society since 1966. It is also affiliated with the International Astronomical Union.
Past Presidents
1899-1905, Simon Newcomb.
1905-19, Edward C. Pickering.
1919-22, Frank Schlesinger.
1922-25, W. W. Campbell.
1925-28, G. C. Comstock.
1928-31, Ernest W. Brown.
1931-34, Walter S. Adams.
1934-37, Henry Norris Russell.
1937-40, Robert G. Aitken.
1940-43, Joel Stebbins.
1943-46, Harlow Shapley.
1946-49, Otto Struve.
1949-52, Alfred H. Joy.
1952-54, Robert R. McMath.
1954-56, Donald H. Menzel.
1956-58, Paul Merrill.
1958-60, G. M. Clemence.
1960-62, Lyman Spitzer, Jr.
1962-64, C. S. Beals.
1964-66, Leo Goldberg.
1966-67, Bengt Stromgren.
1967-70, Albert E. Whitford.
1970-72, Martin Schwarzschild.
1972-74, Bart J. Bok.
1974-76, Robert P. Kraft.
1976-78, E. Margaret Burbidge.
1978-80, Ivan R. King.
1980-82, David Heeschen.
1982-84, Arthur D. Code.
1984-86, Maarten Schmidt.
1986-88, Bernard F. Burke.
1988-90, Donald E. Osterbrock.
1990-92, John N. Bahcall.
1992-94, Sidney Wolff.
1994-96, Frank Shu.
1996-98, Andrea K. Dupree.
1998-2000, Robert D. Gehrz.
2000-02, Anneila I. Sargent.
2002-04, Catherine A. Pilachowski.
2004-06, Robert P. Kirshner.
2006-08, J. Craig Wheeler.
2008-10, John P. Huchra.
2010-12, Debra M. Elmegreen.
2012-14, David J. Helfand.
2014-16, C. Megan Urry.
Important Dates
1899Society founded as the Astronomical and Astrophysical Society of America.
September 1899First meeting of the society at Yerkes Observatory, Williams Bay (Wis.).
1914Name changed to the American Astronomical Society (AAS).
1934Annie Jump Cannon Award established for outstanding research and promise for future research by a postdoctoral woman researcher.
1946Henry Norris Russell Lectureship established and chose on the basis of a lifetime of eminence in astronomical research.
1954Helen B. Warner Prize for Astronomy established for a significant contribution to observational or theoretical astronomy during the five years preceding the award and the recipient is under 36 years of age.
1962 – 1969Paul M. Routly, Executive Officer.
1968Division for Planetary Sciences created.
1969Solar Physics Division created.
1969 – 1979Hank M. Gurin, Executive Officer.
1970High Energy Astrophysics Division created.
1970Division of Dynamical Astronomy created.
1974Newton Lacy Pierce Prize in Astronomy established for oustanding achievement, over the past five years, in observational astronomical research based on measurements of radiation from an astronomical object.
1979Dannie Heineman Prize for Astrophysics established and awarded jointly with the American Institute of Physics to recognize outstanding mid-career work in the field of astrophysics.
1979 – 1995Peter B. Boyce, Executive Officer.
1980Historical Astronomy Division created.
1982Chretien International Research Grants established.
1986Beatrice M. Tinsley Prize established for an outstanding research contribution to astronomy or astrophysics, of an exceptionally creative or innovative character.
1995 – 2006Robert W. Milkey, Executive Officer.
1996The Astrophysical Journal (ApJ) first published.
1997AAS assumed responsibility for the George Van Biesbroeck Prize to honor a living individual for long-term extraordinary or unselfish service to astronomy.
2000Education Prize established for outstanding contributions to the education of the public, students, and/or the next generation of professional astronomers.
2001 – 2013Astronomy Education Review published.
2002Joseph Weber Award for Astronomical Instrumentation established for the design, invention, or significant improvement of instrumentation leading to advances in astronomy.
2006Chambliss Amateur Achievement Award established for an achievement in astronomical research made by an amateur astronomer.
2006Chambliss Astronomical Writing Award established for astronomy writing for an academic audience, specifically textbooks at either the upper-division undergraduate or the graduate level.
2006Chamblissh Astronomy Achievement Student Awards established to recognize exemplary research by undergraduate and graduate students who present at one of the poster sessions at the meetings of the AAS.
2006 – presentKevin B. Marvel, Executive Officer.
2011Lancelot M. Berkeley New York Community Trust Prize for Meritorious Work in Astronomy established for highly meritorious work in advancing the science of astronomy during the previous year.
2012Laboratory Astrophysics Division created.
Places
Meeting
Headquarters
Subjects
Astronomy -- Study and teaching.
Science -- International cooperation.
Citations
From the American Astronomical Society (AAS) website.
Relationships
People
Employees & Officers
Adams, Walter S. (Walter Sydney), 1876-1956
President.
Aitken, Robert Grant, 1864-1951
President.
President; Committee Member, Division of High Energy Astrophysics; and Member, Council.
Beals, Carlyle Smith, 1899-
President.
Bok, Bart J. (Bart Jan), 1906-1983
President.
Boyce, Peter B.
Executive Officer.
Brown, Ernest W. (Ernest William), 1866-1938
President.
Burbidge, E. Margaret
President.
Burke, Bernard F., 1928-
President.
Campbell, William Wallace, 1862-1938
President.
Chandrasekhar, S. (Subrahmanyan), 1910-1995
Member, Council.
Clemence, Gerald M. (Gerald Maurice), 1908-
President and Editor, Astronomical Journal.
Code, Arthur D.
President.
Comstock, George C. (George Cary), 1855-1934
President.
Dupree, Andrea K.
President.
Elmegreen, Debra Meloy, 1952-
President.
Member, Council.
Gehrz, Robert D.
President.
Member, Committee on the Status of Women and Member, Council.
Member, Council.
Goldberg, Leo
President.
Gurin, Herman Meyer
Executive Officer.
Heeschen, David S.
President.
Helfand, D. J. (David J.), 1950-
President.
Huchra, John P.
President.
Joy, Alfred H. (Alfred Harrison), 1882-1973
President.
Kaspi, Victoria Michelle, 1967-
Member, Executive Committee, High Energy Astrophysics Division.
King, Ivan R.
President.
Kirshner, Robert P., 1949-
President.
Kraft, Robert P. (Robert Paul), 1927-
President.
Marvel, Kevin
Executive Officer.
McMath, Robert R. (Robert Raynolds), 1891-1962
President.
Menzel, Donald H. (Donald Howard), 1901-1976
President.
Merrill, Paul W. (Paul Willard), 1887-1961
President.
Milkey, Robert W.
Executive Officer.
Council Member.
Newcomb, Simon, 1835-1909
President.
Osterbrock, Donald E.
President.
Pickering, Edward C. (Edward Charles), 1846-1919
President.
Pilachowski, Catherine A.
President.
Routly, Paul McRae
Executive Officer.
Russell, Henry Norris, 1877-1957
President.
Sargent, Anneila Isabel, 1942-
President.
Schlesinger, Frank, 1871-1943
President.
Schmidt, Maarten, 1929-
President.
Schwarzschild, Martin
President.
Shapley, Harlow, 1885-1972
President.
Shu, Frank H.
President.
President.
Stebbins, Joel, 1878-1966
President.
Stromgren, Bengt, 1908-1987
President.
Struve, Otto, 1819-1905
President.
Taylor, Joseph H. (Joseph Hooton)
Councilor, High Energy Astrophysics Division.
Member, Governing Committee, High Energy Astrophysics Division.
Urry, Claudia Megan
President.
Wheeler, J. Craig
President.
Whitford, Albert E. (Albert Edward), 1905-2002
President.
Wolff, Sidney C.
President.
Member, Council.
Associates & Members
Abell, George O. (George Ogden), 1927-1983
Aitken, Malcolm
Babcock, Horace W.
Brunk, William Edward, 1928-
Burbidge, Geoffrey R.
DeVorkin, David H., 1944-
Dieke, Sally H. (Sally Harrison), 1913-1989
Druyan, Ann, 1949-
Edmondson, Frank K. (Frank Kelley), 1912-
Ford, Kenneth William, 1926-
Hale, George Ellery, 1868-1938
Harwood, Margaret, 1885-1979
Hoag, Arthur A. (Arthur Allen), 1921-1999
Hoffleit, Dorrit
Johnson, Hugh M.
Koch, Herman William, 1920-
Latham, David W.
Maran, Stephen P.
Meggers, William F. (William Frederick), 1888-1966
Michelson, Albert A. (Albert Abraham), 1852-1931
Nassau, Jason John, 1893-1965
Oertel, Goetz Kuno Heinrich, 1934-
Ramaty, R.
Rubin, Vera C., 1928-2016
Sagan, Carl, 1934-1996
Slack, L. (Lewis), 1924-
Smarr, Larry L.
Van de Kamp, Peter, 1901-1995
Walker, Richard L., 1938-
Weaver, Harold F.
Willson, L. A. (Lee Anne)
Institutions
Collaborators
American Association for the Advancement of Science
Have held joint meetings.
Member Society.
Yerkes Observatory
Site of first meeting.
Associates
Harvard College Observatory
Sproul Observatory
Van Biesbroeck Award, Inc.
Resources
Archival Resources
Author
A radio view of the universe [motion picture].
Niels Bohr Library & Archives
American Institute of Physics
One Physics Ellipse, College Park, MD 20740, USA
American Astronomical Society centennial [sound recording]: 194th meeting of the American Astronomical Society, 1999 May 30 - June 3.
Niels Bohr Library & Archives
American Institute of Physics
One Physics Ellipse, College Park, MD 20740, USA
American Astronomical Society correspondence, 1981-2004.
University Archives
University of Washington
Mailstop #0-10. Seattle, WA 98195, USA
American Astronomical Society Division on Dynamical Astronomy addition to records, 1967-2004.
Niels Bohr Library & Archives
American Institute of Physics
One Physics Ellipse, College Park, MD 20740, USA
American Astronomical Society Division on Dynamical Astronomy records, 1969-2000.
Niels Bohr Library & Archives
American Institute of Physics
One Physics Ellipse, College Park, MD 20740, USA
American Astronomical Society Education Office records, 1959-1984.
Niels Bohr Library & Archives
American Institute of Physics
One Physics Ellipse, College Park, MD 20740, USA
American Astronomical Society Harlow Shapley Visiting Lectureship Program records, 1980-1999.
Niels Bohr Library & Archives
American Institute of Physics
One Physics Ellipse, College Park, MD 20740, USA
Niels Bohr Library & Archives
American Institute of Physics
One Physics Ellipse, College Park, MD 20740, USA
American Astronomical Society Historical Astronomy Division addition to records: obituary files, 1995-1998.
Niels Bohr Library & Archives
American Institute of Physics
One Physics Ellipse, College Park, MD 20740, USA
American Astronomical Society Historical Astronomy Division addition to the records of the Secretary/Treasurer, 1974-2000.
Niels Bohr Library & Archives
American Institute of Physics
One Physics Ellipse, College Park, MD 20740, USA
American Astronomical Society Historical Astronomy Division Preservation Committee records, 1981-1984.
Niels Bohr Library & Archives
American Institute of Physics
One Physics Ellipse, College Park, MD 20740, USA
Niels Bohr Library & Archives
American Institute of Physics
One Physics Ellipse, College Park, MD 20740, USA
Niels Bohr Library & Archives
American Institute of Physics
One Physics Ellipse, College Park, MD 20740, USA
American Astronomical Society minutes, 1897-1962.
Niels Bohr Library & Archives
American Institute of Physics
One Physics Ellipse, College Park, MD 20740, USA
American Astronomical Society miscellaneous publications, 1918-2013.
Niels Bohr Library & Archives
American Institute of Physics
One Physics Ellipse, College Park, MD 20740, USA
American Astronomical Society Office of the Secretary addition to records, circa 1990-2000.
Niels Bohr Library & Archives
American Institute of Physics
One Physics Ellipse, College Park, MD 20740, USA
American Astronomical Society Office of the Secretary records of Arlo Landolt, 1961-2001.
Niels Bohr Library & Archives
American Institute of Physics
One Physics Ellipse, College Park, MD 20740, USA
American Astronomical Society Office of the Treasurer records of Frank K. Edmondson, 1898-1979.
Niels Bohr Library & Archives
American Institute of Physics
One Physics Ellipse, College Park, MD 20740, USA
American Astronomical Society records, 1897-1988 (bulk 1920-1980).
Niels Bohr Library & Archives
American Institute of Physics
One Physics Ellipse, College Park, MD 20740, USA
American Astronomical Society Solar Physics Division records, 1966-1996.
Niels Bohr Library & Archives
American Institute of Physics
One Physics Ellipse, College Park, MD 20740, USA
Conference on astronomy and the state [sound recording], 1994.
Niels Bohr Library & Archives
American Institute of Physics
One Physics Ellipse, College Park, MD 20740, USA
Exploring the Milky Way [motion picture].
Niels Bohr Library & Archives
American Institute of Physics
One Physics Ellipse, College Park, MD 20740, USA
Invited papers regarding the 75th anniversary of the American Astronomical Society [sound recording], 1974 August 22.
Niels Bohr Library & Archives
American Institute of Physics
One Physics Ellipse, College Park, MD 20740, USA
Papers appearing in The Astronomical Journal and The Astrophysical Journal presenting research ultimately recognized by the awarding of the 2011 Nobel Prize in physics, 2011 December 1.
Niels Bohr Library & Archives
American Institute of Physics
One Physics Ellipse, College Park, MD 20740, USA
Personal histories of x-ray astronomy records, 1967-2013.
Niels Bohr Library & Archives
American Institute of Physics
One Physics Ellipse, College Park, MD 20740, USA
Recollections prepared for the 75th anniversary of the American Astronomical Society [sound recording], 1974.
Niels Bohr Library & Archives
American Institute of Physics
One Physics Ellipse, College Park, MD 20740, USA
Science and engineering television journal: observatories in space [motion picture], presented by the American Astronomical Society ; produced by John K. Mackenzie ; directed by Bud Myers ; 1965 January 13.
Niels Bohr Library & Archives
American Institute of Physics
One Physics Ellipse, College Park, MD 20740, USA
Selected presentations from the AAS centennial meeting [sound recording], 1999 May 30-June 3.
Niels Bohr Library & Archives
American Institute of Physics
One Physics Ellipse, College Park, MD 20740, USA
Subject
AIP Office of the Director records of H. William Koch and Kenneth W. Ford, 1966-1992.
Niels Bohr Library & Archives
American Institute of Physics
One Physics Ellipse, College Park, MD 20740, USA
AIP Office of the Director records of H. William Koch, 1932-1988 (bulk 1966-1987).
Niels Bohr Library & Archives
American Institute of Physics
One Physics Ellipse, College Park, MD 20740, USA
AIP Office of the Secretary addition to records, 1931-2007.
Niels Bohr Library & Archives
American Institute of Physics
One Physics Ellipse, College Park, MD 20740, USA
AIP Physics Programs Division records of Lewis Slack, 1968-1988.
Niels Bohr Library & Archives
American Institute of Physics
One Physics Ellipse, College Park, MD 20740, USA
Arthur A. Hoag papers, 1918-1999.
Lowell Observatory
1400 West Mars Road, Flagstaff, Arizona 86001, USA
Arthur D. Code papers, 1958-1984.
University Archives
University of Wisconsin -- Madison
Steenbock Library, Madison, WI 53706, USA
David H. DeVorkin papers, circa 1979-2002.
Archives
Smithsonian Institution
Capital Gallery, Suite 3000, MRC 507, 600 Maryland Avenue SW, Washington, DC 20024-2520, USA
Dorrit Hoffleit papers, 1906-2005.
Schlesinger Library
Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study
Cambridge, MA 02138, USA
George C. Comstock papers, 1909-1915.
University Archives
University of Wisconsin -- Madison
Steenbock Library, Madison, WI 53706, USA
George Ellery Hale papers [microform], 1882-1938.
Niels Bohr Library & Archives
American Institute of Physics
One Physics Ellipse, College Park, MD 20740, USA
George Van Biesbroeck Award records, 1963-2003.
Niels Bohr Library & Archives
American Institute of Physics
One Physics Ellipse, College Park, MD 20740, USA
Harvard College Observatory Office of the Director records of Edward C. Pickering, 1864-1926.
Archives. Pusey Library
Harvard University
Cambridge, MA 02138, USA
Harvard College Observatory records from scientific conferences and meetings, 1910-1975.
Archives. Pusey Library
Harvard University
Cambridge, MA 02138, USA
Harvard College Observatory records, 1843-1978.
Archives. Pusey Library
Harvard University
Cambridge, MA 02138, USA
Henry N. Russell correspondence [microform], 1890-1950.
Niels Bohr Library & Archives
American Institute of Physics
One Physics Ellipse, College Park, MD 20740, USA
Hugh M. Johnson papers, 1946-1999.
Niels Bohr Library & Archives
American Institute of Physics
One Physics Ellipse, College Park, MD 20740, USA
J. Craig Wheeler papers, 2005-2010.
Center for American History. University Archives
University of Texas at Austin
Austin, TX 78713, USA
Jason John Nassau papers, 1919-1977.
Archives
Case Western Reserve University
10900 Euclid Ave, Cleveland, OH 44106-7229, USA
L. A. Willson papers, 1974-2009, undated.
parks Library. Archives of Women in Science and Engineering
Iowa State University
Ames, IA 50011, USA
Larry Smarr papers, 1956-2000.
University Archives
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
1408 West Gregory Drive, Urbana, IL 61801, USA
Lyman Spitzer papers, 1936-1997.
Department of Rare Books and Special Collections
Princeton University
1 Washington Road, Princeton, NJ 08544, USA
Margaret Harwood papers, 1902-1974.
Schlesinger Library
Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study
Cambridge, MA 02138, USA
Oral history interview with Andrea Dupree, 2007 October 29.
Niels Bohr Library & Archives
American Institute of Physics
One Physics Ellipse, College Park, MD 20740, USA
Oral history interview with Bart Jan Bok, 1978 May 15, 17, 19 and 1978 June 14.
Niels Bohr Library & Archives
American Institute of Physics
One Physics Ellipse, College Park, MD 20740, USA
Oral history interview with David W. Latham, 2006 October 8.
Niels Bohr Library & Archives
American Institute of Physics
One Physics Ellipse, College Park, MD 20740, USA
Oral history interview with Donald E. Osterbrock, 1982 January 21.
Niels Bohr Library & Archives
American Institute of Physics
One Physics Ellipse, College Park, MD 20740, USA
Oral history interview with Frank K. Edmondson, 1977 April 21 and 1978 February 2.
Niels Bohr Library & Archives
American Institute of Physics
One Physics Ellipse, College Park, MD 20740, USA
Oral history interview with Geoffrey Burbidge, 1975 June 4.
Niels Bohr Library & Archives
American Institute of Physics
One Physics Ellipse, College Park, MD 20740, USA
Oral history interview with George Ogden Abell, 1977 November 14.
Niels Bohr Library & Archives
American Institute of Physics
One Physics Ellipse, College Park, MD 20740, USA
Oral history interview with Goetz Kuno Heinrich Oertel, 1978 April 25.
Niels Bohr Library & Archives
American Institute of Physics
One Physics Ellipse, College Park, MD 20740, USA
Oral history interview with Harlow Shapley, 1966 June 8 and August 25.
Niels Bohr Library & Archives
American Institute of Physics
One Physics Ellipse, College Park, MD 20740, USA
Oral history interview with Harold F. Weaver, 1991 September 3, 4, 5, 6, 9, 10, 11, 12 and 13.
Niels Bohr Library & Archives
American Institute of Physics
One Physics Ellipse, College Park, MD 20740, USA
Oral history interview with Horace W. Babcock, 1975 June 9.
Niels Bohr Library & Archives
American Institute of Physics
One Physics Ellipse, College Park, MD 20740, USA
Oral history interview with Maarten Schmidt, 1996 April 11 and May 2, 15.
Institute Archives
California Institute of Technology
1201 East California Blvd. (Mail Code 015A-74), Pasadena, CA 91125, USA
Oral history interview with Malcolm Aitken, 1977 July 17.
Niels Bohr Library & Archives
American Institute of Physics
One Physics Ellipse, College Park, MD 20740, USA
Oral history interview with Margaret Burbidge, 1978 July 13.
Niels Bohr Library & Archives
American Institute of Physics
One Physics Ellipse, College Park, MD 20740, USA
Oral history interview with Peter B. Boyce, 1997 February 19.
Niels Bohr Library & Archives
American Institute of Physics
One Physics Ellipse, College Park, MD 20740, USA
Oral History interview with Richard Walker, 1997 January 13.
Niels Bohr Library & Archives
American Institute of Physics
One Physics Ellipse, College Park, MD 20740, USA
Oral history interview with S. Chandrasekhar, 1977 May 17, 18 and October 31.
Niels Bohr Library & Archives
American Institute of Physics
One Physics Ellipse, College Park, MD 20740, USA
Oral history interview with Stephen P. Maran, 2005 August 5.
Niels Bohr Library & Archives
American Institute of Physics
One Physics Ellipse, College Park, MD 20740, USA
Oral history interview with Vera C. Rubin, 1989 April 3.
Niels Bohr Library & Archives
American Institute of Physics
One Physics Ellipse, College Park, MD 20740, USA
Oral History interview with William E. Brunk, 1983 July 21 and August 9.
Niels Bohr Library & Archives
American Institute of Physics
One Physics Ellipse, College Park, MD 20740, USA
Reuven Ramaty papers, 1963-1999.
Mandeville Special Collections Library
University of California, San Diego
9500 Gilman Drive, La Jolla, CA 92093, USA
Sally H. Dieke papers, 1886-1989.
Special Collections, Milton S. Eisenhower Library
Johns Hopkins University
3400 N. Charles St., Baltimore, MD 21218, USA
Seth MacFarlane collection on Carl Sagan and Ann Druyan, 1860-2004 (bulk 1962-1997).
Manuscript Division
Library of Congress
James Madison Memorial Building, First Street and Independence Avenue SE, Washington, DC 20540, USA
Sproul Observatory astronomer photoprints, 1916-1975.
Archives Center
Smithsonian Institution. National Museum of American History
MRC 601, 12th Street and Constitution Avenue, NW, Washington, DC 20560, USA
Subrahmanyan Chandrasekhar papers, 1928-1995.
The Joseph Regenstein Library. Department of Special Collections
University of Chicago
1100 East 57th Street, Chicago, IL 60637, USA
Symposium on the galaxy [motion picture] / taken by Peter Van de Kamp, 1950.
Niels Bohr Library & Archives
American Institute of Physics
One Physics Ellipse, College Park, MD 20740, USA
William F. Meggers addition to papers, 1870-1973 (bulk 1906-1966).
Niels Bohr Library & Archives
American Institute of Physics
One Physics Ellipse, College Park, MD 20740, USA
Published Resources
Author
Bulletin - American Astronomical Society
Education in and history of modern astronomy
Publications of the Astronomical and Astrophysical Society of America
Sir Isaac Newton, 1727-1927 : a bicentenary evaluation of his work : a series of papers
Stars and galaxies: birth, ageing, and death in the universe