Awards of the RASC
The RASC awards a number of honours each year to promote and advance astronomy in Canada.
Major Awards to Members
The Chant Medal is awarded based on a significant body of work of lasting value to the astronomical community and is named after C. A. Chant who was a noted astronomer at the University of Toronto and helped to found the David Dunlap Observatory there.
Established in memory of Ken Chilton, this prize is awarded for a specific piece of astronomical research or work carried out or published recently.
The Service Award, established in 1959, is awarded to members of the RASC who have made significant contributions at either the National and/or Centre levels.
In 1979, on the recommendation of the Halifax Centre, the Simon Newcomb Award was established for excellence in astronomical writing by an RASC member.
Other RASC Awards
The RASC supports the Canada-Wide Science Fair by awarding the Award for Excellence in Astronomy to the top student presenting in that category. The award includes a Youth membership in the RASC.
Light-Pollution Abatement Certificate of Merit
The RASC, through its Light-Pollution Abatement Committee, awards a Certificate of Merit to organizations, individuals and municipalities who make a contribution to the fight against light pollution in Canada.
Awards for Academic Achievement
Co-sponsored with the Canadian Astronomical Society (CASCA), Canada's association of professional astronomers, the Plaskett Medal is awarded annually to graduate from a Canadian university who is judged to have submitted the most outstanding doctoral thesis in the preceding two years.
From 1906 to 1987, the RASC awarded a Gold Medal to the top student in astronomy at the University of Toronto. Since 1988, this medal has been awarded by the Toronto Centre of the RASC.