Astronomical Society of the Pacific
The Astronomical Society of the Pacific (ASP) was founded in San Francisco in 1889. It has the legal status of a nonprofit organization.
It is the largest general astronomy society in the world, with members from over 70 countries.
The society promotes astronomy education, publishing the popular astronomy magazine Mercury. It also publishes the scholarly scientific journal Publications of the Astronomical Society of the Pacific aimed at professional astronomers.
Awards
The ASP makes several different awards annually:
- The Bruce Medal for lifetime contribution to astronomy research. The medal is named after Catherine Wolfe Bruce.
- The Klumpke-Roberts Award for outstanding contributions to the public understanding and appreciation of astronomy, named for Dorothea Klumpke-Roberts.
- The Amateur Achievement Award in recognition of significant contributions to astronomy by one not employed in the field of astronomy in a professional capacity.
- The Bart Bok Award, named in honor of astronomer Bart Bok, awarded jointly with the American Astronomical Society to outstanding student projects in astronomy at the International Science and Engineering Fair.
- The Thomas Brennan Award for exceptional achievement related to the teaching of astronomy at the high school level.
- The Maria and Eric Muhlmann Award for recent significant observational results made possible by innovative advances in astronomical instrumentation, software, or observational infrastructure.
- The Robert J. Trumpler Award, named in honor of astronomer Robert J. Trumpler, given to a recent recipient of a Ph.D degree with a particularly notable thesis.