News

Thank you to all 200+ attendees and sponsors for supporting the 2012 ASP Annual Meeting in Tucson! We hope you found the plenary sessions and workshops engaging and informative, and the networking fruitful and enjoyable. Please stay tuned for details about our 2013 Annual Meeting, taking place in San Jose, July 20 – 24. Note that next year will feature a Cosmos in the Classroom conference!

In the meantime, we are pleased to share footage from one of this year’s highlight plenary sessions: “Doomsday 2012 and Cosmophobia – Challenges and Opportunities for Science Communication,” featuring: David Morrison, Kristine Larsen, Bryan Mendez, Mark Van Stone and Q&A. (With special thanks to NASA’s Brian Day and Ricky Guest.)

The ASP has just announced a new annual award -- the Andrew Fraknoi Supporter's Award in honor of 39 years of service and support to the ASP. Andrew Fraknoi has received the inaugural award. Every year at the Supporters Luncheon an individual will be recognized for exceptional support of the ASP.

Following her PhD, Andrea Schweitzer transitioned into an industry cubicle. Fifteen years later, she’s a “scientist entrepreneur” with tenure; it’s just different from a tenured position at a university. Discover how you can give yourself tenure outside of academia in the Summer 2012 issue of Mercury magazine.

The Astronomical Society of the Pacific announces the recipients of its 2012 awards for excellence in astronomy research and education.

Two high school students from Texas and Louisiana are the winners of the 2012 Priscilla and Bart Bok Awards for their astronomy projects presented at the Intel Science and Engineering Fair in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania in May.

NASA Night Sky Network YouTube channel

Long ago astronomers used to call asteroids “vermin of the skies.” These small rocky bodies “got in the way” of “important” objects of study. But now asteroids are one of the hottest topics of interest for researchers, students, and policy makers. In the Spring 2012 edition of Universe in the Classroom, find out about asteroids and the insights they can provide into the origins of the solar system, and how the OSIRIS-REx mission will return a sample of an asteroid to Earth for study by scientists.

The ASP is thrilled to announce an innovative partnership with Distant Suns Astronomy App!With Distant Suns you can tour the Solar System, find out what's up in the sky, and now you can find NASA Night Sky Network (NSN) astronomy events using the app. Explore Distant Suns and find a NSN star party! Read more.

The Astronomical League featured the Astronomical Society of the Pacific's newOur Magnetic SunToolKit in the Reflector Magazine. Enjoy the article online and be sure to subscribe to the AL Reflector!.

Events

Join
us on our tour of Australia for the 2012 total eclipse. Read
more about all of our tours.

Education Programs

Astronomy
Behind the Headlines is a podcast for informal science
educators. Each month, we'll give you a look behind the latest headlines
in astronomy and space science and provide links to related resources
and activities so you can interpret these exciting topics for your
audiences.