Astronomical Society of the Pacific

Astronomical Society of the Pacific
Abbreviation ASP
Formation 1889
Legal status Non-profit organization
Purpose scientific research and public education in astronomy
Location
  • US
Region served
worldwide
Executive Director
 Dr. Linda Shore [1]
Website ASP

The Astronomical Society of the Pacific (ASP) is a scientific and educational organization, founded in San Francisco on February 7, 1889. Its name derives from its origins on the Pacific Coast, but today it has members all over the country and the world. It has the legal status of a nonprofit organization.

It is the largest general astronomy education society in the world, with members from over 40 countries.

The ASP's goal is to promote public interest in and awareness of astronomy (and increase scientific literacy) through its publications, web site, and many educational and outreach programs. These include:

The ASP assists with astronomy education and outreach by partnering with other organizations both in the United States and internationally, and organizes an annual meeting to promote the appreciation and understanding of astronomy.

Presidents of the ASP have included such notable astronomers as Edwin Hubble, George O. Abell, and Frank Drake. George Pardee, who later became Governor of the State of California, served as President in 1899.

Publications

The society promotes astronomy education through several publications. The Universe in the Classroom, a free electronic educational newsletter for teachers and other educators around the world who help students of all ages learn more about the wonders of the universe through astronomy.

Mercury, the ASP's quarterly on-line membership magazine, covers a wide range of astronomy topics, from history and archaeoastronomy to cutting-edge developments. First published in 1925 as the Leaflets of the ASP, Mercury is now disseminated to thousands of ASP members and schools, universities, libraries, observatories, and institutions around the world.

The ASP also publishes the journal Publications of the Astronomical Society of the Pacific (PASP) aimed at professional astronomers. The PASP is a technical journal of refereed papers on astronomical research covering all wavelengths and distance scales as well as papers on the latest innovations in astronomical instrumentation and software, and has been publishing journals since 1889.

The Astronomical Society of the Pacific Conference Series (ASPCS) is a series of over 400 volumes of professional astronomy conference proceedings. Started in 1988, the Conference Series has grown to become a prominent publication series in the world of professional astronomy publications, and now publishes an average of 20-25 volumes per year. Volumes are sold to the attendees of the conferences of which the proceedings are published, as well as being offered through the Astronomical Society of the Pacific's AstroShop, and can be found in the libraries of major universities and research institutions worldwide. In 2004, the ASPCS stepped into electronic publishing, offering electronic access subscriptions for libraries and institutions, as well as individual access to volumes which they have purchased in hard copy form.

Astronomy Beat is an on-line column, which comes out every other week, and features a behind-the-scenes report on some aspect of astronomical discovery, astronomy education, or astronomy as a hobby, written by a key participant. Authors have included:

Awards

The ASP makes several different awards annually:

Defunct awards

Affiliations

The Astronomical Society of the Pacific is an affiliate of the American Association for the Advancement of Science.

Recent Presidents

  • 2013- Gordon Myers (IBM, ret.)
  • 2011-2013 William A. Gutsch (St Peters College, Jersey City)
  • 2009–2011 Bruce Partridge (Haverford College)
  • 2007-2009 James B. Kaler (U. of Illinois)
  • 2005-2007 Dennis Schatz (Pacific Science Center, Seattle)
  • 2003-2005 Catharine Garmany (U. of Colorado; National Optical Astronomy Observatories)
  • 2001-2003 Alexei Filippenko (U. of California, Berkeley)
  • 1999-2001 Frank N. Bash (U. of Texas)

Past Presidents

References

  1. ↑ http://www.astrosociety.org/society-news/veteran-astronomy-educator-astrophysicist-and-science-writer-dr-linda-shore-named-executive-director-of-the-asp/
  2. ↑ https://www.astrosociety.org/about-us/awards/
  3. ↑ "Awards of the Comet-Medal of the ASP (1890-1896)". Publications of the Astronomical Society of the Pacific. San Francisco. 9: 99. 1897. JSTOR 40671005.
  4. ↑ Donohoe Comet Medal mentioned in Chapter 4 (Medals and Endowments) of A Centennial History of the ASP by Katherine Bracher
  5. ↑ Comet Medal mentioned in Chapter 16 (New People, New Awards, New Approaches) of A Centennial History of the ASP by Katherine Bracher

Sources

History of the Astronomical Society of the Pacific

Research resources

External links

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