Astronomical Society of the Pacific

Astronomical Society of the Pacific The Astro Society promotes science and literacy via resources and programs that uplift community engagement through the awe and wonder of space.

Founded in 1889 as the Astronomical Society of the Pacific, we are the oldest astro society in the U.S. The ASP's programs are funded by individual donors and members, corporations, foundations, NSF and NASA, among others.

Another Earth could be out there. How do we find it? 🌎🔭Join Dr. Jessie Christiansen, Chief Scientist of the NASA Exoplan...
09/23/2026

Another Earth could be out there. How do we find it? 🌎🔭

Join Dr. Jessie Christiansen, Chief Scientist of the NASA Exoplanet Science Institute, for “The Search for Earth 2.0: Why We Think It Exists, and How We’re Going to Find It.”

Explore the surprising worlds we’ve already discovered and the ambitious telescope plans that could help us find a rocky planet like ours around a Sun-like star.

🗓 Wednesday, October 7 | 7 p.m. PT�📍 Smithwick Theater, Foothill College, Los Altos�🎟 Free Admission!

Part of the Silicon Valley Astronomy Lecture Series, co-sponsored by Foothill College’s STEM Division, SETI Institute, and The Astro Society

Save the date and send this to your favorite space enthusiast! ✨

Happy Equinox! Here in the Northern Hemisphere, we are celebrating the Autumnal Equinox 🍂, aka the first day of fall! Mo...
09/22/2026

Happy Equinox!

Here in the Northern Hemisphere, we are celebrating the Autumnal Equinox 🍂, aka the first day of fall! More than just pumpkin spice lattes and changing leaves, the equinox marks the beginning of astronomical autumn - when the length of day and night are roughly equal around the world. From this point, the days will grow shorter in the northern hemisphere until the shortest period of sunlight on the Winter Solstice.

What are your favorite autumnal traditions? We're excited for cozy sweaters while looking through our telescopes, stylish boots, soup on the stove, and apple cider doughnuts 🔭🍎🎃🧣

Your weekend plans? A date with the Moon. 🌙✨This Saturday, September 19, join people around the world for International ...
09/18/2026

Your weekend plans? A date with the Moon. 🌙✨

This Saturday, September 19, join people around the world for International Observe the Moon Night!

🔭 Find a local gathering or virtual event through NASA’s “Find an Event” page.�🏡 Host your own! Invite friends for a backyard Moon night!
✨NASA has free Moon maps, activities, and planning resources to help you get started.

Big event or small gathering, everyone’s invited. Tag your Moon photos and show us your view!💛


https://science.nasa.gov/moon/observe-the-moon-night

09/16/2026

Moon dust isn’t just messy…it’s an astronaut’s nightmare. 🌕😳

Ahead of International Observe the Moon Night this Saturday, September 19th, 2026, discover why living and working on the Moon might be harder than it looks. And how this is exactly how living there could help humans reach Mars.

Watch the full episode of Astro Beat with Astro Society CEO Dr. Hakeem Oluseyi 🔗 You know where to find the link!

One of our proudest and best-known traditions over our 137 years is the ASP Awards, in which we recognize individual ach...
09/15/2026

One of our proudest and best-known traditions over our 137 years is the ASP Awards, in which we recognize individual achievements in astronomy research, technology, education, and public outreach each year. We are pleased to announce our 2026 award winners!

For the full press release with details on each of our awardees and their incredible careers thus far, please visit our website - direct link in the first comment below. Please share your congratulations for these esteemed individuals🔭

💫 Catherine Wolfe Bruce Gold Medal - Dr. Steve B. Howell, Senior Research Scientist at the NASA Ames Research Center in Mountain View, California

💫Robert J. Trumpler Award - Dr. Jesse Han, Recently received his Doctorate in Astronomy and Physics from Harvard University and is currently a Stanford University Science Fellow

💫Klumpke-Roberts Award - Dr. Alexei Filippenko, Distinguished Professor of Astronomy, University of California, Berkeley; one of only three recipients of the 2026 Gruber Cosmology Prize for his studies of supernovae

💫Arthur B.C. Walker II Award - Dr. Dara J. Norman, Director of the Community Science & Data Center (CSDC) at the National Science Foundation’s National Optical-Infrared Astronomy Research Laboratory (NOIRLab) - NSF NOIRLab

💫Las Cumbres Amateur Outreach Award - Michael Overacker, Retired firefighter and professional photographer; Master Observer, Astronomical League

💫Richard H. Emmons Award - Michael A. Reid, Associate Professor, Dunlap Department of Astronomy and Astrophysics, University of Toronto

💫Maria and Eric Muhlmann Award - Dr. Shelley Adams Wright, Professor in the Department of Astronomy and Astrophysics and Department of Physics at University of California, San Diego

The 2026 Awards Gala will be held Friday, November 6 at the Chabot Space and Science Center to honor and celebrate those receiving the prestigious ASP Awards. Ticket information to come, please check our social media and ASP Community emails.

We had a table at the Kits Cubed Oakland STEM fair this past Saturday and the front lawn of Oakland Technical High Schoo...
09/14/2026

We had a table at the Kits Cubed Oakland STEM fair this past Saturday and the front lawn of Oakland Technical High School was hopping! Kids, parents, and the scientifically curious of all ages stopped by the many tents for science experiments - from extracting strawberry DNA to toasting marshmallows using a mirror and the Sun, a great time was had by all!

The Astro Society team - Director of Education Vivian White, Director of Digital Brand Amy Imhoff, and astronomer Summer Ash plus their stellar student volunteers - taught kids about the composition of the Sun ☀️. Using nontoxic "heavy water" and paint, young scientists learned about solar wind, sunspots, the Sun's corona, and more. 😎 The telescope, with its solar filter, allowed everyone to view the Sun in real time!

Thanks to all who came out on this beautiful day and to the clouds for cooperating with perfect solar viewing conditions. 🤩

Our intrepid team had an epic time at the launch last week! Many thanks to Rosie Johnson of Her Cosmic Orbit for her pa...
09/11/2026

Our intrepid team had an epic time at the launch last week! Many thanks to Rosie Johnson of Her Cosmic Orbit for her partnership in taking amazing photos and video alongside the Astro Society's Kat Troche & Director of Education Vivian White 📸🚀

NASA Social and the entire NASA's Kennedy Space Center team made this an incredible experience as we celebrate Nancy Grace Roman's historic legacy of firsts, especially for women in the space sector. Astronomy would not be the same without Roman, and we can't wait for the first images the telescope sends back as they are sure to fill us with awe, answer some questions about our cosmic neighborhood, and raise new questions for humanity to explore.

In case you missed our free panel on The Life & Legacy of Nancy Grace Roman, it lives on our YouTube page - just search Astro Society or go to our LinkTree (in our bi0!) 📲

💫🪐✨🌟

09/09/2026

New episodes of Astro Beat are coming soon - have you checked out our new YouTube channel? Science explainers straight from our CEO, Dr. Hakeem Oluseyi 💫

This is just a quick clip of our 16-minute video "If There's Water, Is There Life?" exploring new evidence of Mars' ocean past. This has bigger significance, not just in our solar system but across the galaxy! 🪐

Click the l|nk in the c0mments below to watch the whole video 📲📺

Address

390 Ashton Avenue
San Francisco, CA
94112

Website

Alerts

Be the first to know and let us send you an email when Astronomical Society of the Pacific posts news and promotions. Your email address will not be used for any other purpose, and you can unsubscribe at any time.

Contact The School

Send a message to Astronomical Society of the Pacific:

Shortcuts

Share

Category