Programs-at-a-Glance

The NASA Night Sky Network is a community of more than 450 astronomy clubs across the U.S. that share their time and telescopes to engage the public with unique astronomy experiences. The ASP provides training and materials to enhance clubs outreach activities, and inspires more than four million people through their participation in 30,000+ events.

The Astro Society supports college astronomy clubs to become more vibrant, welcoming, and fun! A pilot study was launched in 2026 with 26 colleges in California, thanks to a grant by CA Space Grant. Work is expanding nationwide through an AIP Venture Grant in 2027. See Current Resources below and stay tuned for more coming soon.

Learn@ASP is the portal to courses, workshops, webinars, and resources from the Astronomical Society of the Pacific. 2026 will offer new workshops for educators, scientists, interpreters, and amateur astronomers.

OTSF is a research-to-practice National Science Foundation (NSF) project led by the ASP, in collaboration with Oregon State University, the Portal to the Public Network via the Institute for Learning Innovation, and the National Radio Astronomy Observatory (NRAO). The project developed a set of on-the-spot feedback strategies and professional development experiences to help early-career research scientists with their public engagement activities.

Nine college students traveled to Alaska from January 4–11, 2025 for a Winter Field Experience at UA Fairbanks! This one-week “Eclipses to Aurora” opportunity will introduce students to space physics graduate studies in topics such as electromagnetism, observations of aurora, data reduction, and instrumentation. Fairbanks, Alaska is just south of the Arctic Circle so participants will get a sense of what it's like to live and work in near constant darkness.

Big Astronomy: People, Places, Discoveries delivers a unique learning experience for planetarium visitors around the world by integrating virtual interactions with those living and working at Chilean observatories with curricular resources and a planetarium show. ASP created Informal Science activities released in 2020 to correlate with the planetarium show followed by adapted and tested materials for better engagement with visitors who are blind or have low vision.

Hands-on astronomy activities rich in science practices and designed for preschool-aged children.

AFGU provided informal science educators and interpreters with new and innovative ways to communicate astronomy. AFGU created a community of hundreds of educators from museums, science centers, nature centers, and parks around the U.S., who continue to enhance and expand their capacity to address astronomy topics for their visitors.