Professor Claudia Maraston has been elected member or the Royal Astronomical Society Club, an inner circle of scientists that was founded in 1820 and counts its members since. Claudia Maraston is member 424 and was elected by Professors Joe Silk and Roger Davies.
Several early scientific societies in Britain had their origins as a dining club, when travel was more difficult than now and an overnight stay was convenient after a meeting at which its members would discuss the latest scientific results. The Royal Astronomical Society conceived on 12 January 1820 by 14 astronomers at such a dinner at the Freemason’s Tavern, in Lincoln’s Inn Fields, London, first met for its scientific business two months later on 10 March 1820. Since then, the RAS Club has continued solely as a social club which meets for dinner in London and at major astronomical conferences such as NAM and the IAU.