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{{Use dmy dates|date=September 2019}}
{{Use Indian English|date=May 2018}}
The '''Astronomical Society of India''' ('''ASI''') is an [[India]]n society of professional [[astronomer]]s and other professionals from related disciplines. It was founded in 1972, with [[Vainu Bappu]] being the founder President of the Society, and as of 2010 has a membership of approximately 1000. Its registered office is at the Astronomy Department, [[Osmania University]], [[Hyderabad, India]]. Its primary objective is the promotion of Astronomy and related branches of science. It organises meetings, supports and tries to popularise Astronomy and related subjects and publishes the [[Bulletin of the Astronomical Society of India]].<ref>[http://www.astron-soc.in/index.html Astronomical Society of India] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110304111620/http://www.astron-soc.in/index.html |date=4 March 2011 }}</ref>

Prof. Rajaram Nityananda of the National Centre for [[Radio astronomy|Radio Astrophysics]] at the Tata Institute of Fundamental Research, [[List of neighbourhoods in Pune|Ganeshkhind]],
[[Pune]] is the Society's President.<ref>[http://www.astron-soc.in/executive.html The Executive Council of the Astronomical Society of India] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110304111443/http://www.astron-soc.in/executive.html |date=4 March 2011 }}</ref>

The Society makes a series of awards, the most prestigious of which is the ''Prof. M. K. Vainu Bappu Gold Medal'' awarded once every two years to "honour exceptional contributions to Astronomy and Astrophysics by young scientists anywhere in the world."<ref name="awards">[http://www.astron-soc.in/awards.html Awards and Endowments instituted by the Astronomical Society of India] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110304110925/http://www.astron-soc.in/awards.html |date=4 March 2011 }}</ref> Previous award winners include:
* 1986 Yasuo Fukui
* 1988 [[George Efstathiou]]<ref name="Publications2003">{{cite book|author=Europa Publications|title=The International Who's Who 2004|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=neKm1X6YPY0C&pg=PA480|year=2003|publisher=[[Psychology Press]]|isbn=978-1-85743-217-6|pages=480–}}</ref> and [[Shrinivas Kulkarni]]
* 1990 D.J. Saikia and Dipankar Bhattacharya
* 1992 Pawan Kumar
* 1994 Matthew Colless
* 1996 [[Sarbani Basu]]
* 1998 Peter Martinez<ref>{{cite press release|url=http://old.saao.ac.za/no_cache/public-info/news/news/article/96/ |title=International Medal to South African astronomer |publisher=South African Astronomical Observatory |accessdate=10 June 2015 |date=29 November 2000 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20150610171631/http://old.saao.ac.za/no_cache/public-info/news/news/article/96/ |archivedate=10 June 2015 }}</ref>
* 2000 Biswajit Paul and [[Alycia J. Weinberger]]
* 2002 [[Brian Schmidt|Brian P. Schmidt]]<ref>{{cite journal|journal=Bulletin of the Astronomical Society of India|volume=32|number=1|page=83|url=http://adsabs.harvard.edu/full/2004BASI...32...83.|title=Society Matters|last=Ambastha|first=Ashok|date=March 2004|bibcode = 2004BASI...32...83. }}</ref>
* 2004 R. Srianand and [[Ray Jayawardhana]]<ref>{{cite news|newspaper=[[The Sunday Times]]|url=http://www.sundaytimes.lk/070218/Plus/023_pls.html|date=18 February 2007|location=Sri Lanka|title=Lanka astronomer wins two top awards|issn=1391-0531|accessdate=5 June 2015}}</ref>
* 2006 [[Banibrata Mukhopadhyay]]
* 2008 Niayesh Afshordi and [[Nissim Kanekar]]<ref>{{cite press release|url=http://www.perimeterinstitute.ca/news/niayesh-afshordi-wins-vainu-bappu-gold-medal|title=Niayesh Afshordi wins Vainu Bappu Gold Medal|publisher=[[Perimeter Institute for Theoretical Physics]]|date=21 April 2011|last=Lambert|first=Lisa}}</ref>
* 2010 [[Marta Burgay]] and Parampreet Singh<ref>{{cite press release|title=LSU and Campus Federal Credit Union Name Rainmakers|date=4 March 2015|url=http://www.lsu.edu/ur/ocur/lsunews/MediaCenter/News/2015/03/item75601.html|publisher=[[Louisiana State University]]|last=Satake|first=Alison|access-date=10 June 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150610133926/http://www.lsu.edu/ur/ocur/lsunews/MediaCenter/News/2015/03/item75601.html|archive-date=10 June 2015|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.astron-soc.in/awards.php#vainu_bappu|title=Professor M. K. Vainu Bappu Gold Medal|publisher=Astronomical Society of India|accessdate=10 June 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150610132727/http://www.astron-soc.in/awards.php#vainu_bappu|archive-date=10 June 2015|url-status=dead}}</ref>

The Society also runs two prestigious lectures: the Modali Endowment Lecture and the R. C. Gupta Endowment Lecture.<ref name="awards"/>

==Previous Organisation==
A previous organisation of the same name existed between July 1910 and ''circa'' 1922.<ref>{{Cite web|title=D:\uploadedFiles\b13f7f9ead1d26148ac991352c8828d1-b2553557f3532164\p1884b19f11sgi1tu5ub31lvu11r84.pdf|url=http://www.scienceandculture-isna.org/sept-oct-2013/07%20Art_The_Forgtn_Astrnmcl_Soc._of_Ind._by_Rajinder%20Singh_Pg.369.html/index.html|access-date=2020-06-22|website=www.scienceandculture-isna.org}}</ref> It was founded to promote astronomy following an appearance of [[Halley's Comet|Halley’s Comet]].<ref name="Astronomical Society Of India 1910">{{Cite book|last=Astronomical Society Of India|url=http://archive.org/details/in.ernet.dli.2015.212928|title=The Journal Of Astronomical Society Of India Vol 1|date=1910}}</ref> Initially there was strong support for such a society and by 30 September 1911 there were 239 members (192 ''original'' and a net 47 added during the first session).<ref name="Astronomical Society Of India 1911">{{Cite book|last=Astronomical Society Of India|url=http://archive.org/details/in.ernet.dli.2015.212929|title=The Journal Of Astronomical Society Of India Vol 2|date=1911}}</ref> The society was run along similar lines to the [[British Astronomical Association]].<ref>{{Cite web|title=1911JBAA...21..278. Page 282|url=http://articles.adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-journal_query?volume=21&plate_select=NO&page=282&plate=&cover=&journal=JBAA.|access-date=2020-06-23|website=articles.adsabs.harvard.edu}}</ref> Sections were formed for general observation, [[Meteoroid|meteors]], Earth’s [[Moon]] and [[variable star]]s, experts were appointed to advise on instrumental matters and photography.<ref name="Astronomical Society Of India 1910"/> A Library was established.<ref name="Astronomical Society Of India 1911"/> The society was based in [[Kolkata|Calcutta]] and nearby [[Barrackpore]].<ref name="Astronomical Society Of India 1910"/> [[Sidney Gerald Burrard]] and [[John Evershed]] were Vice Presidents.<ref name="Astronomical Society Of India 1911"/> However the organisation faded to obscurity following the departure from India of one of the principal members, Herbert Gerard Tomkins.<ref>{{Cite web|title=1935MNRAS..95..332. Page 332|url=http://articles.adsabs.harvard.edu/full/1935MNRAS..95..332.|access-date=2020-06-22|website=articles.adsabs.harvard.edu}}</ref>

== Publications ==
* ''[[Bulletin of the Astronomical Society of India]]''

== See also ==
* [[List of astronomical societies]]

== References ==
{{Reflist}}

== External links ==
* {{official website|https://www.astron-soc.in/}}

{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Astronomy organizations]]
[[Category:Scientific organizations established in 1972]]
[[Category:Scientific organisations based in India]]
[[Category:Organisations based in Hyderabad, India]]
[[Category:1972 establishments in Andhra Pradesh]]
[[Category:Astronomy in India]]

Astronomical Society of India - Revision history

CleanupBot II at 18:30, 13 August 2023