The Astronomical Society of the Pacific ( ASP ) is an American scientific and educational organization, founded in San Francisco on February 7, 1889, immediately following the solar eclipse of January 1, 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.
8-697: The Catherine Wolfe Bruce Gold Medal is awarded every year by the Astronomical Society of the Pacific for outstanding lifetime contributions to astronomy . It is named after Catherine Wolfe Bruce , an American patroness of astronomy, and was first awarded in 1898. Source: Astronomical Society of the Pacific Astronomical Society of the Pacific It is the largest general astronomy education society in
16-738: 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: The ASP makes several different awards annually: The Astronomical Society of the Pacific is an affiliate of the American Association for the Advancement of Science . 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
24-633: 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. Mercury Online , a publicly accessible companion blog for Mercury , was established in 2019 " to showcase articles by our expert columnists after they've been published in Mercury magazine. " The ASP also publishes
32-582: 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. AstroBeat is an on-line ASP-membership column, which comes out every other week, and features
40-573: 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 has published over 500 volumes. Volumes are sold to the attendees of the conferences of which the proceedings are published, as well as being offered through
48-471: The appreciation and understanding of astronomy. 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
56-405: 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
64-494: The world, with members from over 40 countries. The ASP's mission 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. 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
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