Around 500 astronomers and space scientists will gather at Lancaster University for the Royal Astronomical Society National Astronomy Meeting 2019 (NAM 2019).

The conference from June 30-July 4 2019 is the largest annual astronomy and space science event in the UK and will see leading scientists from the UK and around the world present the latest cutting-edge research.

Isobel Hook, Professor of Astrophysics at Lancaster University, said: “It’s very exciting to be holding this major event at Lancaster University. We have arranged a wonderfully varied programme of science with connected events for schools, teachers and the general public, which we hope everyone will enjoy.”

NAM 2019 incorporates the RAS National Astronomy Meeting (NAM), and includes the annual meetings of the UK Solar Physics (UKSP) and Magnetosphere Ionosphere Solar-Terrestrial (MIST) groups.

Jim Wild, who is Professor of Space Physics at Lancaster University, said: “NAM will bring together researchers in astrophysics, space science, planetary science and solar physics from across the UK into a single event, as well as welcoming leaders from the international astronomical research community, funding bodies and various space agencies. We’re looking forward to welcoming these explorers of the universe to our campus and city.”

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

Sessions at NAM 2019 will cover a diverse range of topics in 34 parallel sessions, including galaxies, the history and fate of the Universe, future instruments and space probes, and the impact of the Sun on the Earth.

Alongside the formal meeting will be a public lecture at the Dukes Theatre in Lancaster by Professor Dame Jocelyn Bell Burnell, who will speak about the 1919 expeditions to Príncipe and Sobral to verify Einstein’s general theory of relativity.

Meeting arrangements and a full and up to date schedule of the scientific programme can be found on the official website https://nam2019.org and via the conference Twitter account https://twitter.com/rasnam2019

Details of media releases are on a dedicated conference page at https://nam2019.org/press-releases

Media representatives are cordially invited to attend the meeting and can register at no cost. Press room facilities will be available for the duration of the conference – from 0900 BST on Monday 1 July to 1500 BST on Thursday 4 July.

For free registration for the meeting, please contact the press team via nam-press@ras.ac.uk

A series of releases, issued under embargo, will cover key scientific results presented at the meeting.

To obtain access to these embargoed releases go to https://nam2019.org/press-releases, after first obtaining the log in and password details from nam-press@ras.ac.uk If you follow the link to ‘press embargo’ you will then be able to see releases from the conference.

Scientists at the conference are also available for interview via both a radio studio and TV studio at Lancaster University; the Globelynx TV network offers broadcast quality HD video to the world’s leading broadcasters and an ISDN line for interviews in a radio booth.

Please book these via the Lancaster University Press Office on +44(0)1524 592612.