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Kat Troche

@kuiperkat.org
890 followers 1.3K following 320 posts

Professional amateur astronomer with astrosociety.org + aaa.org 💫 Emmy + Webby winner 🏆 Have scope, will travel 🔭 Opinions are my own 👩🏻‍💻 linktr.ee/kuiperkat

PostsRepliesMedia
Reposted by Kat Troche
Tim Fernholz @timfernholz.com · 15/09/2026
this is an important investigation into how NASA cuts are directly affecting flagship space science missions www.npr.org/2026/09/15/n...
npr.org
NASA rushed engineers out of their labs. They say it risks future space missions
NASA employees say they've lost vital equipment and staff needed to make sophisticated spacecraft amid the agency's abrupt relocations over the past several months.
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The Astro Society @astrosociety.org · 26/08/2026
Are you ready for the Nancy Grace Roman telescope launch this weekend? @kuiperkat.org, @cosmicrosie.bsky.social, & our Director of Ed Vivian are bound for the Space Coast, so stay tuned for photo & video! Til then, register for our FREE panel on NGR's life & legacy, live on Thursday 8/27 on Zoom 🚀🌌
Astronomy@250: the Life and Legacy of Nancy Grace Roman 

Live on Thursday, August 27 5pm PT/8pm ET on Zoom 
Free panel kicking off our annual conference!
REGISTER NOW: bit.ly/nancygraceroman
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Reposted by Kat Troche
CosmicRami 🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍⚧️ @rami.spaceaustralia.com · 19/08/2026
Do you know about the Crab Pulsar? It's the Rosetta Stone of Neutron Stars! It's given astronomers so much to work with, across the entire electromagnetic spectrum. It even has a unit of measurement named after it -- The Crab: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crab_(u... #NeutronStarWeek 🧵👇 📸 NASA SVS
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Kat Troche @kuiperkat.org · 12/08/2026
A bite of the Sun today from Queens, NY! #PartialSolarEclipse
Collage of a black moon passing in front of an orange sun, covering 9% of the sun's disk. A photo of two telescopes, a chair and a laptop on a rooftop.
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The Astro Society @astrosociety.org · 03/08/2026
🙌🏻Conference sponsor appreciation post🙌🏻 The Astro Society thanks Digitalis Education Solutions, Inc. for being one of our amazing sponsors this year. Digitalis manufactures & sells digital planetarium systems for portable and fixed domes. (1/2)
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The Astro Society @astrosociety.org · 31/07/2026
What if Mars wasn't always the "Red Planet?" 🌊🔴 Billions of years ago, Mars may have looked more like Earth—a world with a vast ocean, flowing rivers, sandy coastlines, and perhaps the building blocks of life. Dr. Hakeem Oluseyi explores the latest scientific evidence suggesting that Mars...
Link to our new Astro Beat episode in the thread below! 
Unlocking the Martian Past - Space Explainers with Dr. Hakeem Oluseyi
Follow on YouTube @AstroBeatShow
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The Astro Society @astrosociety.org · 23/07/2026
In 5 days, join the NASA Night Sky Network + our staff for a FREE webinar on International Observe the Moon Night!🌖🌝 Tuesday, July 28, 6:00pm PT/9:00pm ET: experienced event hosts will discuss this global observing program, how you can get involved, & program resources available this year.
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The Astro Society @astrosociety.org · 21/07/2026
Beaming in on this Tuesday to let you know that if you are among the first 50 people to register for our virtual conference, Astronomy @ 250, you'll get a special NASA 250 The Rocket's Red Glare patch, as worn by the Artemis II crew! 🚀🚀 (1/2)
Artemis II crew shows off their patches on their sleeves - all hands in!Vivian celebrating her Moon joy with the patch!
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The Astro Society @astrosociety.org · 20/07/2026
Not long now - our annual conference starts in just over 5 weeks! 💫 We're offering a free panel as we kick off yet another jam-packed virtual event, focusing on "The Life and Legacy of Nancy Grace Roman". NASA's first Chief Astronomer and the Mother of Hubble, Roman's namesake telescope...
Astronomy @ 250 
Annual Conference Kickoff Event
The Life & Legacy of Nancy Grace Roman
Thursday, August 27, 2026
5pm PT/8pm ET on Zoom
Register now: bit.ly/nancygraceroman
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Reposted by Kat Troche
The Astro Society @astrosociety.org · 16/07/2026
Nancy Grace Roman personally had a long relationship with the Astro Society & we are beyond thrilled that her namesake telescope is launching next month! ✨🔭 This 1-min video provides the basics of the Nancy Grace Roman Telescope & its job once it reaches LaGrange Point 2 & beams data back to Earth.
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The Astro Society @astrosociety.org · 14/07/2026
Webinar incoming! Hear from the NASA Night Sky Network - a nationwide coalition of amateur astronomy clubs partnering with NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory to bring the wonders of space down to Earth for communities everywhere, including educators, through hands-on activities...
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The Astro Society @astrosociety.org · 27/06/2026
1 week left in our library sale! 📚📚 These are just a few of the titles still available. As a 137 year-old org, you tend to collect some amazing books! Head over to ASPLibraryProject dot org and see what's left before time runs out ⏰🚀💫
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Reposted by Kat Troche
The Astro Society @astrosociety.org · 12/06/2026
We're here at SpaceCon in very warm & sunny San Antonio! Stop by booth J119 for free stickers, tiny astronauts, & galaxy lollipops and enter our raffle of #startrek goodies!
Amy and Kat at the Astro Society booth with all sorts of space swag!
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The Astro Society @astrosociety.org · 10/06/2026
New article out from Astro Society staff in the Astronomical League's Reflector magazine! Our Senior Astronomy Education Specialist, Theresa J. Summer, writes about NASA's International Observe the Moon Night, this year taking place on September 19, in their new June 2026 issue 🌔🔭🧪
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Kat Troche @kuiperkat.org · 07/06/2026
“It's sort of like going to a concert,” Troche explains. “Everybody's there to see the band play—everyone's excited. It's the same vibe.” I was happy to speak with Amy Brecount White at #NationalGeographic about #stargazing this summer! www.nationalgeographic.com/travel/artic...
nationalgeographic.com
These summer star parties offer the best Milky Way views of the year
As our galaxy enters its “core season,” national parks, state parks, and more are bringing out the big telescopes to open your eyes to the night sky’s wonders.
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Kat Troche @kuiperkat.org · 06/06/2026
M57, the #RingNebula, is approximately 2,000 light years away from Earth in the constellation Lyra. It's an 8.8 magnitude planetary nebula, making it challenging to see with your eyes from light polluted skies, but easy work for this scope. Image time: 3 minutes
A small ring-shaped planetary nebula that is teal-colored with a red rim, centered among background stars.
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Reposted by Kat Troche
The Astro Society @astrosociety.org · 01/06/2026
Happy Pride from the Astro Society team! 🎉🌈 NASA created this image using their space photography images (all of which are public domain, so cool!) to create the colors of the modern LGBT+, intersectional pride flag. 💫 Space is for everyone and we celebrate our beautiful, diverse communities.
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The Astro Society @astrosociety.org · 26/05/2026
TODAY!! At 6p PT/9pm ET - join us on YouTube and hear about Artemis II lunar science: www.youtube.com/watch?v=ThVg...
youtube.com
NSN Webinar Series: Moon Joy: Science from Artemis II with Dr. Ryan Watkins
YouTube video by NASA Night Sky Network
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Reposted by Kat Troche
The Astro Society @astrosociety.org · 20/05/2026
New logo, new era! We are now The Astro Society ✨ Our publications and awards will remain with our legacy name, the Astronomical Society of the Pacific. All new content, our upcoming AstroBeat video series and podcast, plus our expanded presence at events will be as The Astro Society. Welcome!
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US National Gemini Office @usngo.bsky.social · 20/05/2026
Throwback post: This week’s image is of the globular cluster Liller 1! Despite its proximity to the Milky Way’s galactic bulge, Gemini captured this stunning image using the GeMS adaptive optics system on Gemini South. Check out the 🧵! #Astronomy
An image of Liller 1, a dense globular cluster. Hundreds of stars are visible, clustered tightly together in a bright, glowing concentration at the center and scattering more sparsely toward the edges. The stars emit a warm, golden-orange, and yellowish hue, with a few smaller, faint white and blue dots sprinkled throughout.
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Kat Troche @kuiperkat.org · 11/04/2026
Friends, it has been an honor and a privilege experiencing Artemis II with you all! If you want to stay involved in NASA Science programs, here are some things you can do 🧵
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David Blanchflower BSc @davidbflower.bsky.social · 10/04/2026
How the Artemis crew will splash down on Earth. 🔭 🧪 www.bbc.co.uk/news/videos/...
bbc.co.uk
Explained: How the Artemis crew will splash down on Earth
The Artemis crew will return to Earth on 10 April after a 10-day mission that took them around the Moon.
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Kat Troche @kuiperkat.org · 09/04/2026
Chat bubbles in shorthand that say:

I ain't reading all that
I'm happy for you though
Or sorry that happened
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Reposted by Kat Troche
The Astro Society @astrosociety.org · 08/04/2026
Our annual Awards submissions deadline is extended through next Wednesday, April 15 - get those nominations in! 💫 Every year, we recognize individual achievements in astronomy research, technology, education, & public outreach. Past recipients include luminaries such as Edwin Hubble, Vera Rubin...
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The Astro Society @astrosociety.org · 07/04/2026
It seems fitting, as the Artemis II mission continues its journey, that April is Global Astronomy Month! 🔭 We're watching STEAM education in action, something we are committed to 365 days a year. We offer workshops, courses, & hands-on educational activities for every age and learning level...
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Kat Troche @kuiperkat.org · 07/04/2026
😭😭😭
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Kat Troche @kuiperkat.org · 06/04/2026
Carroll Crater
media.tenor.com
a woman in a scrub top is crying while holding her head
ALT: a woman in a scrub top is crying while holding her head
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Kat Troche @kuiperkat.org · 06/04/2026
24 minutes til Artemis surpasses Apollo's record!!
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Kat Troche @kuiperkat.org · 06/04/2026
Friends: if you were an astronaut about to orbit the Moon on #ArtemisII, what would you want your wake up song to be? I've gotta go with Tank! youtu.be/UFFa0QoHWvE?...
youtu.be
Tank!
YouTube video by Seatbelts - Topic
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Kat Troche @kuiperkat.org · 06/04/2026
#ArtemisII has entered the lunar sphere of influence!! Less than 40k miles left. LET'S GOOOOO 🚀🌕🚀
media.tenor.com
a baby is screaming in a crowd of people while being held by a woman and says `` let 's go ! ''
ALT: a baby is screaming in a crowd of people while being held by a woman and says `` let 's go ! ''
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Kat Troche @kuiperkat.org · 06/04/2026
Real talk: what are we all wearing for Moon-Day tomorrow?? I've got my pins and patch ready. #ArtemisII
A white, gray, red and blue Artemis mission patch with matching enamel pin, an SLS rocket pin, a pin of the Moon, a silver Moon necklace and Moon bracelet
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Kat Troche @kuiperkat.org · 05/04/2026
Two years ago, I had the opportunity to meet Reid Wiseman before we participated in the NASA total solar eclipse broadcast. I hope he and the #ArtemisII crew get to experience another solar eclipse from the far side of the Moon this Monday!
Artemis II commander Reid Wiseman and Kat Troche pose together at the NASA total solar eclipse event. Wiseman is wearing his blue NASA flight suit with mission patches; Kat is wearing glasses, a black denim jacket, and a white t-shirt that says 'Totality Happening At The Moment'. An orange telescope with a solar filter and NASA stage banner are visible in the background.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​
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Reposted by Kat Troche
Alan Boyle @b0yle.bsky.social · 05/04/2026
The focus of NASA's #Artemis 2 mission is shifting from views of Earth to the main event - sending humans around the moon's far side for the first time in more than 50 years. And don't miss the Easter message from NASA astronaut Victor Glover: cosmiclog.com/2026/04/04/o... #Space
cosmiclog.com
Orion crosses the halfway point in journey to the moon
NASA’s Artemis 2 astronauts are well past the halfway point in their trip from Earth to the moon — the first such trip in more than 50 years. Today they and the rest of the Artemis team fine-…
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Kat Troche @kuiperkat.org · 03/04/2026
If you want to (potentially) spot #Artemis with a telescope, pull up Integrity's ephemeris with JPL's Horizons! You can calculate it by selecting Artemis II as the target body and entering your closest city and state ssd.jpl.nasa.gov/horizons/app... Happy spotting!
ssd.jpl.nasa.gov
Horizons System
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Scott Kardel aka Palomar Skies @palomarskies.bsky.social · 02/04/2026
Here's an image I just took of the Artemis II mission showing the Orion spacecraft and the upper booster module (not sure which is which) taken when they were around 69,000 km from Earth aloing with an image of Earth from the spacecraft taken at the same time. Taken with my Unistellar telescope. 🔭 🚀
A telescopic image of stars. There are two faint lines, that have been circled by red ovals. The lines show the motion of the Orion spacecraft and a booster rocket from the Artemis II mission.An image of rocket engines from the Orion service module. A crescent Earth is at center and the NASA logo is in the upper right.
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Kat Troche @kuiperkat.org · 02/04/2026
Want to follow the crew of Integrity during Artemis II? Visit NASA.gov/missions/artemis-ii/arow/ and follow the real-time flight! You can also visit NASA Eyes on the Solar System for a simulation of this, and all past nasa missions 🚀🌕
nasa.gov
NASA: Artemis II
Artemis I will be the first in a series of increasingly complex missions to build a sustained human presence at the Moon for decades to come.
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Kat Troche @kuiperkat.org · 02/04/2026
I'm overwhelmed with joy. Go #NASA. Go #Artemis II 🚀🌕
Zoom panelists Terry Farrell, Kat Troche, Emily Carney, Rosie Johnson, John Billingsley, Nadine Nicole, Stephanie Czajkowski and Amy ImhoffA close-up of a NASA T-shirt. The shirt is white, with blue and red stripes and a red collar. The NASA letters are in black. A silver Moon pendant is in the center on a silver chain. Selfie of Kat Troche holding a Snoopy astronaut plush
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The Astro Society @astrosociety.org · 26/03/2026
We are the oldest astronomical society in the United States, but we're not quite as old as the first photo ever taken of the moon. 🌔 This public-domain image is a daguerreotype by John W. Draper taken in 1840 from his rooftop observatory at New York University, and predates our founding by 49 years.
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The Astro Society @astrosociety.org · 25/03/2026
Artemis II is on track for an April 1 launch, so mark your calendar & join us at 2:30pm PT/5:30pm ET for a LIVE viewing party on our YouTube channel (at astrosocietypac). RSVP to our event on Facebook or add a reminder to your calendar app. 📅 👩🏻‍🚀🧑🏻‍🚀 Amy Imhoff, ASP's Director of Digital Brand...
Artemis Launch:
Live Viewing Party
Watch live with the
Astronomical Society of the Pacific
Hosted by
Amy Imhoff
*
ASP
New Window: April 1
2:30pm PT/5:30pm ET Live on YouTube for 3:24pm PT/6:24pm ET Launch

With a galaxy background & a photo of Artemis on the launchpad and Amy's headshot
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The Astro Society @astrosociety.org · 23/03/2026
Welcome, spring! 🌸 On Friday March 20, our team celebrated the Spring Equinox by observing sunset over the San Francisco Bay with a solar telescope, the Mayan Day Count Observer, Exploratorium, and local Mayan Yucatec Jarana Dance Group. Vivian White, our Director of Free Choice Learning...
Small group of people gathered around the solar telescope, which Vivian looks into and adjustsVivian addressing the crowdVivian in the foreground with two additional people at the telescope, one is a woman in traditional Mayan dressThe crowd watches a beautiful sunset over the Bay
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The Astro Society @astrosociety.org · 23/03/2026
Only 8 days left to submit excellent folks for our annual ASP Awards! Every year, we open our submission portal so YOU, our peers, can celebrate the people in your orbit who do amazing work in the areas of astronomy research, astro tech, education, and public outreach. This is your reminder that...
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Riding With Robots @ridingrobots.bsky.social · 17/03/2026
From NASA NASA’s Parker Solar Probe just did it again. ☀️ On March 11th, it completed its 27th close approach to the Sun, flying just 3.8 million miles from the solar surface at a blistering and record-matching 430,000 mph. New data drops March 18: go.nasa.gov/474BFBH
science.nasa.gov
Parker Solar Probe Makes 27th Swing Around the Sun
NASA’s Parker Solar Probe completed its 27th close approach to the Sun on March 11, again matching its record distance of 3.8 million miles (6.2 million kilometers) from the solar surface.
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Kat Troche @kuiperkat.org · 07/03/2026
TFW the clocks move forward, and everyone is so happy, but you're losing an hour of stargazing. #DaylightSavings happens tomorrow at 2 AM, so make sure you reset your analog watches and the oven clock. We'll be back to standard time in November.
Meme stick drawing, Flork, smiling in the foreground while going through the stages of grief in the background
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Kat Troche @kuiperkat.org · 06/03/2026
I need to go to Iceland this August for my total solar eclipse do-over. I'm willing to take a chance with the weather 🇮🇸
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Dr. Tessa Fisher @tessafisher.bsky.social · 04/03/2026
I tell people that if the government is covering up the existence of aliens, NASA is absolutely not involved, because astrobiologists can't keep a secret to save their lives
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Reposted by Kat Troche
Joe @archaeologyboy.bsky.social · 04/03/2026
the “moon’s haunted” meme but haunted has been overwritten with the word “catholic”
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Kat Troche @kuiperkat.org · 03/03/2026
www.youtube.com/live/JeOlqcK...
youtube.com
TOTAL LUNAR ECLIPSE | MARCH 3, 2026 | GRIFFITH OBSERVATORY
YouTube video by Griffith Observatory
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Kat Troche @kuiperkat.org · 03/03/2026
I'm about to crash out #TotalLunarEclipse #OvercastSkies
A sky chart from ClearDarkSky indicating it will be cloudy during the total lunar eclipse A sky chart from Astrospheric indicating it will be cloudy during the total lunar eclipse A sky chart from Clear Outside indicating it will be cloudy during the total lunar eclipse
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Kat Troche @kuiperkat.org · 02/03/2026
LOCK IN: on March 2-3, parts of North and South America, the North Pacific Ocean region, along with parts of Russia, Australia, Japan, etc. will experience a #TotalLunarEclipse! Here are your total eclipse times for time zones Eastern to Chamorro Standard Time (aka Guam):
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Kat Troche @kuiperkat.org · 27/02/2026
The first crewed Moon landing since 1972 is now planned for Artemis IV in early 2028, possibly followed by Artemis V before the end of 2028: www.youtube.com/live/eCbQtyU...
youtube.com
Artemis Update (Feb. 27, 2026)
YouTube video by NASA
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