Project ASTRO at Kitt Peak

2 November 2024

Project ASTRO is a long-running project at NOIRLab that brings together classroom teachers and astronomers to collaborate on astronomy education in the classroom. The Project ASTRO fall workshop was held at Kitt Peak National Observatory on 12 October 2024.

The all-day workshop consisted of hands-on activities, telescope tours, and evening observing. Teachers worked with astronomers to learn how astronomers analyze light, the phases of the Moon, and the science of comets — appropriate as Comet Tsuchinshan–ATLAS was a pleasing sight after sunset. Participants toured the Nicolas U. Mayall 4-meter telescope and the McMath-Pierce Solar Telescope. Workshop attendees also saw a Science On a Sphere show. 

Teachers left the workshop with a plethora of educational resources and a network of astronomers to visit their classrooms, lead activities, and talk about science careers and other roles agreed on by the teachers and astronomers.

Information and applications for the 2025 Project ASTRO workshop will be communicated in this Newsletter and be available on the Project ASTRO webpage in the summer of 2025.

Contacts

Contact
Rob Sparks
Senior Education & Engagement Specialist
NSF NOIRLab
Email: robert.sparks@noirlab.edu