Astronomical Society of the Pacific

Hey, Texas space fans! The Astro Society is headed to San Antonio next week for SpaceCon - stop by Booth J119 on the vendor floor all weekend and meet our team. CEO Hakeem Oluseyi will be signing copies his new book "Why Do We Exist?: The Nine Realms of Universe that Make You Possible," we're raffling off two baskets of space and Star Trek goodies (including donated selfies/autographs from cast members!), and we'll have some tasty, space-themed treats and free swag for you as you walk the show floor. 🍭🪐

Plus, you can sign up to be an Astro Society member, meet amateur astronomy rockstar Kat Troche, and get a selfie with Director of Digital Brand Amy Imhoff. Looking forward to meeting you in person - bring your Moon joy and we'll see you soon, Lone Star state! ⭐

Announcing our final speaker lineup for our LA event - in LESS THAN 2 WEEKS! Do you have your tickets?

Spend the evening celebrating creativity in STEAM and the wonder of space with The Astro Society! Taking place during the American Astronomical Society (AAS) Summer Meeting, we've gathered experts in STEAM education and the power of media for an evening of insights, networking, and a star party on the beach. Join us!

Speakers:
Astronaut Dr. Sian Proctor
Star Trek: Deep Space 9's Nana Visitor
CEO of The Planetary Society, Jennifer Vaughn
NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory's Krys Blackwood
The Hip Hop Scientist, Maynard Okereke
Astro Society Board VP Katy Rodriguez Wimberly
The Nacelle Company's Brian Volk-Weiss

All the details:
🌟 Creativity in STEAM & Expanding Geek Universes
📍 Location: Mud/Wtr: Gather Cafe, Santa Monica, CA
📆 Date & Time: Wednesday, June 17 | 6:30 PM – 8:30 PM; free Star Party on Santa Monica Beach immediately after (2 blocks away!)
🎟️ Tickets: $35 General Admission or $150 benefactor level
🍤 Sips & bites served
🥂Celebrating 100 years of the Los Angeles Astronomical Society — let’s welcome them into the triple digits club together
🌔 Bring friends, bring curiosity, and bring your Moon joy!
📲Reserve your spot now via the link in bio/first comment
🔗: AstroSocietyLA dot eventbrite dot com (also in the comments below)

See you there, space fam!

Tomorrow!!

We already have a great crowd signed up for this free workshop, so don't miss out! 💫🌌

ONE WEEK! Join us for a FREE workshop on The Nuts and Bolts of Teaching Astronomy on Wednesday, June 3 at 4pm ET/7pm ET - 90 minutes of targeted, tested resources for getting started in teaching astronomy. If you're teaching for the first time or want to better shape an existing program, this course is for you.

Benefits & key info:
🌔 Classroom-tested resources & activities that facilitate student-centered learning
🔭 Strategies for engaging learners at different grade levels
🌠 See a sample astronomy unit and course syllabus
📚 Learn about the best free, online textbooks
🪐 Access to astronomy education experts
⭐ A certificate of completion for participating in 2 clock hours of professional development

Visit our Learn@ASP portal and register for this free, 90-minute workshop - click the link in the first comment and add this to your calendar!

It's June 1 - and that means your abstracts for our annual conference are due in 8 days! 😱

Abstract submissions are due June 9, 2026. Conference presentation formats will include 50-minute sessions as either an interactive panel discussion or an interactive workshop. We are also accepting submissions for poster presentations. All accepted presentations will be eligible for inclusion in the ASP Conference Proceedings as a record of the conference and a publishing opportunity for those making a presentation. 📖📲🌌

Head to our website (AstroSociety dot org) and the headline image will take your right to the conference landing page and from there, the submission portal. We're excited to see what you've been up to in your research, work, and other astronomical pursuits! 💫

Conference registration will open shortly, stay tuned.

Astronomical Society of the Pacific The Astronomical Society of the Pacific is an international non-profit scientific and educational organization, founded in 1889, that works to increase understanding and appreciation of astronomy.

Happy Pride from the Astro Society team! 🎉🌈

This is an image created by Ember Belrad from NASA images that echoes a similar image put together a few years ago by Rachel Lense, using NASA space photography images (all of which are public domain, so cool!) to create the colors of the modern LGBT+, intersectional pride flag. 💫

Space is for everyone and we celebrate our beautiful, diverse communities.

🌈

In two weeks, we'll be at SpaceCon San Antonio!

Our intrepid Starfleet officers have generously agreed to donate a table selfie or signed photo/book to our raffle, which will include two baskets chock full of space and Star Trek goodies. We've got vintage ASP pins, our Cosmic Decoders game, t-shirts (one signed by Robert Picardo!), signed copies of Kate's book, notepads, a tote bag, a Funko pop, and MORE! 🌠

Free to enter, but the hottest people donate any amount to space education and are personally blessed with Moon joy for the rest of 2026, we don't make the rules. 🌔😉

So thankful for the generosity of Kate, Jonathan, John, Gates, and Bob - wonderful humans all!

Come visit the Astro Society's booth on the show floor - booth # coming soon.

See you there, space fans!🔭🚀

We can't all make it out to the Bay area for the fantastic Silicon Valley Lecture series, which is why you can watch online video and listen via podcast! 📺 🎧

Our CEO, Dr. Hakeem Oluseyi, gave a great lecture at Foothill College last week and now it is up on YouTube for you to watch and share. The topic: Why Are We Here? The 9 Realms of the Universe that Make You Possible. Big questions!

Head over to the SVAstronomyLectures YouTube page and watch now (link below in first comment) - or search for the Silicon Valley Lecture Series wherever you get your podcasts. You won't be disappointed. 🌟

ONE WEEK! Join us for a FREE workshop on The Nuts and Bolts of Teaching Astronomy on Wednesday, June 3 at 4pm ET/7pm ET - 90 minutes of targeted, tested resources for getting started in teaching astronomy. If you're teaching for the first time or want to better shape an existing program, this course is for you.

Benefits & key info:
🌔 Classroom-tested resources & activities that facilitate student-centered learning
🔭 Strategies for engaging learners at different grade levels
🌠 See a sample astronomy unit and course syllabus
📚 Learn about the best free, online textbooks
🪐 Access to astronomy education experts
⭐ A certificate of completion for participating in 2 clock hours of professional development

Visit our Learn@ASP portal and register for this free, 90-minute workshop - click the link in the first comment and add this to your calendar!

New from our Cosmic Engagement Specialist Shanil Virani on Sky & Telescope's new blog series - a deep dive into Stonehenge and what we can learn from how ancient people engaged daily with the sky. 💫

The first article of many to come, "Stonehenge and the Geometry of the Sky" (link in first comment below) reminds us that instead of screens, satellites, and other tech, the humans that came before our modern civilization were highly attuned to the movements of the Sun, Moon, and stars, tracking the sky and marking time with precision across generations. 🌌

How can we be more active in our engagement with the sky? Stay tuned for more from Shanil in Sky & Telescope! 🔭

TODAY!! At 6p PT/9pm ET - join us on YouTube and hear about Artemis II lunar science:

NSN Webinar Series: Moon Joy: Science from Artemis II with Dr. Ryan Watkins Join the NASA Night Sky Network on Tuesday, May 26, at 6:00 PM Pacific Time (9:00 PM Eastern), along with Dr. Ryan Watkins, where we’ll discuss the lunar sci...