National Astronomy Meeting 2023: first media announcement
Royal Astronomical Society press release
RAS PR 23/18 (NAM 1)
31 May 2023
For immediate release

Journalists are warmly invited to attend the 2023 Royal Astronomical Society National Astronomy Meeting (NAM 2023), to take place at Cardiff University from 3-7 July. The UK’s largest regular gathering of professional astronomers and space scientists will be a hybrid event, with around 650 delegates expected to be on site over the week, and about 150 more joining online.

NAM 2023 will see leading scientists from the UK and around the world present the latest cutting-edge research in astronomy and space science. The meeting is themed around “origins”, in this case the beginning of the Universe and our own galaxy, but covers the breadth of UK work in astronomy. 43 parallel sessions over the five days of the conference have topics as diverse as galactic archaeology, coronal rain on the Sun, astronomy and the arts, and the futures of infrared and X-ray astronomy.

Meeting arrangements and a full and up to date schedule of the scientific programme can be found on the official website and via the conference Twitter account.

Media representatives can register for the meeting at no cost. Press room facilities will be available for the duration of the conference – from 09:00 BST on Monday 3 July to 15:00 BST on Friday 7 July.

For free in-person or virtual registration, please contact a member of the press team below.

A series of releases, issued under embargo, will cover key scientific results presented at the meeting, along with media briefings and outreach events. The launch of the Euclid probe, designed to establish the nature of dark energy and dark matter, is expected to take place during the conference, and the NAM press team can arrange interviews with astronomers on site.

Media contacts

Dr Robert Massey
Royal Astronomical Society
Tel: +44 (0)20 7292 3979
Mob: +44 (0)7802 877 699
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Ms Gurjeet Kahlon
Royal Astronomical Society
Mob: +44 (0)7802 877700
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Ms Megan Eaves
Royal Astronomical Society
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Notes for editors

The NAM 2023 conference is principally sponsored by the Royal Astronomical Society (RAS), the Science and Technology Facilities Council (STFC) and Cardiff University.

About the Royal Astronomical Society

The Royal Astronomical Society (RAS), founded in 1820, encourages and promotes the study of astronomy, solar-system science, geophysics and closely related branches of science. The RAS organises scientific meetings, publishes international research and review journals, recognises outstanding achievements by the award of medals and prizes, maintains an extensive library, supports education through grants and outreach activities and represents UK astronomy nationally and internationally. Its more than 4,000 members (Fellows), a third based overseas, include scientific researchers in universities, observatories and laboratories as well as historians of astronomy and others. Follow the RAS on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and YouTube.

About the Science and Technology Facilities Council

The Science and Technology Facilities Council (STFC) is part of UK Research and Innovation – the UK body which works in partnership with universities, research organisations, businesses, charities, and government to create the best possible environment for research and innovation to flourish. STFC funds and supports research in particle and nuclear physics, astronomy, gravitational research and astrophysics, and space science and also operates a network of five national laboratories, including the Rutherford Appleton Laboratory and the Daresbury Laboratory, as well as supporting UK research at a number of international research facilities including CERN, FERMILAB, the ESO telescopes in Chile and many more.

STFC's Astronomy and Space Science programme provides support for a wide range of facilities, research groups and individuals in order to investigate some of the highest priority questions in astrophysics, cosmology and solar system science. STFC's astronomy and space science programme is delivered through grant funding for research activities, and also through support of technical activities at STFC's UK Astronomy Technology Centre and RAL Space at the Rutherford Appleton Laboratory. STFC also supports UK astronomy through the international European Southern Observatory and the Square Kilometre Array Organisation.

Visit https://stfc.ukri.org/ for more information.

Follow STFC on Twitter: @STFC_Matters

About Cardiff University

Cardiff University is recognised in independent government assessments as one of Britain’s leading teaching and research universities and is a member of the Russell Group - the UK’s most research intensive universities. The 2021 Research Excellence Framework found 90% of the University’s research to be world-leading or internationally excellent. Among its academic staff are two Nobel Laureates, including the winner of the 2007 Nobel Prize for Medicine, Professor Sir Martin Evans. Founded by Royal Charter in 1883, today the University combines impressive modern facilities and a dynamic approach to teaching and research. The University’s breadth of expertise encompasses: the College of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences; the College of Biomedical and Life Sciences; and the College of Physical Sciences and Engineering. Its University institutes bring together academics from a range of disciplines to tackle some of the challenges facing society, the economy, and the environment. More at www.cardiff.ac.uk.