iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

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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Kat Troche @kuiperkat.org · 07/06/2026

I love it, it's great 🥲

An image of a Trojan horse containing soldiers being let through a large door. The person bringing in the horse is labeled "For All Mankind" and the person receiving the horse is labeled "Me". The horse is labeled "A fun 'what if?'", the soldiers labeled "sadness".

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Kat Troche @kuiperkat.org · 06/06/2026

Bonus: say good night to #Carroll 🌗 Photos taken with @unistellarusa.bsky.social

A waning gibbous Moon in dark and light gray, featuring views of craters Tycho, Copernicus, Clavius and Carroll.

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Kat Troche @kuiperkat.org · 06/06/2026

Located 7,000 light years away in the Serpens constellation is the emission nebula, M16, also known as the #EagleNebula. At the center of this nebula, you may recognize the Pillars of Creation, a structure of cosmic dust hiding young stars formed within. Image time: 20 minutes

A bright red emission nebula with an embedded star cluster against a dark sky. Dark pillars are in the center of the nebula.

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Kat Troche @kuiperkat.org · 06/06/2026

Located in Sagittarius, Barnard 86 (a dark nebula) and the star cluster NGC 6520 can be viewed with a small telescope. Both objects are part of the Large Sagittarius Star Cloud - the innermost structure of the Milky Way that can be seen naked eye from semi dark skies. Image time: 16 minutes

A compact open star cluster and dark, irregular shaped patch set against a rich, crowded Milky Way star field.

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Kat Troche @kuiperkat.org · 06/06/2026

The #LagoonNebula is an emission nebula located in the #Sagittarius constellation. Emission nebulae make great targets because they emit their own light. At 5,200 light years, M8 is a favorite for stargazers during the warmer months. Image time: 17 minutes

A glowing pink and grey emission nebula surrounded by a dense star field.

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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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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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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 Imhoff

A 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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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 · 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 · 09/02/2026

I'm still so emotional 🥹 🇵🇷

The artist Bad Bunny, dressed in white, standing in front of sugar cane, holding the original flag of Puerto Rico. The flag consists of three red and two white stripes, and a white star against a light blue background.

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Kat Troche @kuiperkat.org · 06/02/2026

this is my first time seeing aurora in my game 😭 #ACNH

A female character in animal crossing new horizons wearing a white winter hat green sweater, blue jeans brown boots and an orange backpack stands next to a telescope, facing a dark blue sky filled with pink and green aurora and stars

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Kat Troche @kuiperkat.org · 04/02/2026

Another sunny day, another session with the Heliostar ☀️🔭 iPhone 15 with the @skywatcherusa.bsky.social Heliostar 76mm Hα telescope. 10 second live video, then processed in Adobe Premiere. #sungazing #astronomy #astrocelltography

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Kat Troche @kuiperkat.org · 04/02/2026

HUGE thank you to @skywatcherusa.bsky.social for this incredible telescope! The Heliostar 76mm Hydrogen Alpha Solar Telescope is gonna be the new go-to for all my solar observations this year, both in person and via livestream ☀️🔭 #astrocelltography #astronomy #AmateurAstronomy #HydrogenAlpha

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Kat Troche @kuiperkat.org · 03/02/2026

New telescope news tomorrow, but #Unistellar telescope shenanigans tonight 😏🌖 #DawnOfTheFirstDay #72HoursRemain

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Kat Troche @kuiperkat.org · 20/01/2026

I finally got to take the #Unistellar telescope I received from @astrosociety.org, and Y'ALL. I still have to properly collimate the telescope but☝🏼not bad for a few quick and dirty shots under a street light. Orion Nebula, 7 min; Pleiades, 3 min.

The Orion Nebula, with a bright white-blue core surrounded by clouds of glowing red, purple, and blue gas. Dark dust lanes cut through the nebula, and hundreds of small stars are scattered across the black background.

The Pleiades star cluster, showing several bright blue-white stars against a dark sky, with smoky blue-gray dust across the image.

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Kat Troche @kuiperkat.org · 11/01/2026

Some scenes from the impromptu (do over) star party on the final night of #AAS247 ✨🔭 If you ever wanted to link up with your local astronomy club, nightskynetwork.org has you covered. Visit the link and find the organization closest to you - or get tips on how to start your own club!

People on a sidewalk looking through two telescopes

A view of Jupiter and its four largest moons - Ganymede, Europa, Callisto and Io - through a telescope

A woman taking a selfie next to a telescope that is pointed at Jupiter. There are palm trees and a large building in the background.

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Kat Troche @kuiperkat.org · 08/01/2026

#AAS247 is coming to a close today and I always get a little bit sad about it.

A woman in black pants, black and white converse sneakers, and a blue and orange space shirt, taking a selfie in a bathroom mirror

A large map of the Moon on the pavement, inside a park.

A hand touching a tactile print of the planet Uranus. The rings and planet body are raised to give texture and depth.

People inside a planetarium looking at an image of a starry background.

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Kat Troche @kuiperkat.org · 05/01/2026

Obligatory #AAS247 bathroom selfie. If you're around, find me and @shanilv.ca at the @astrosociety.org booth all week!

Woman wearing a black T-shirt and blue jeans with a name badge that says Kat Troche she/her Astronomical Society of the Pacific. She is taking a photo using a full length mirror in a restroom.

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Kat Troche @kuiperkat.org · 28/12/2025

Share a great female villain.

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Kat Troche @kuiperkat.org · 09/12/2025

You will be visited by three spirits

An image from Zelda: Ocarina of Time, depicting the creation of the Triforce by the three goddesses: Din, Nayru and Farore

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Kat Troche @kuiperkat.org · 08/12/2025

The #Geminid meteor shower reaches its peak on the night of December 13–14! Be sure to look up if you have clear skies 💫 #Geminids #astronomy #MeteorShowers #ShootingStars

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Kat Troche @kuiperkat.org · 13/11/2025

It's been overcast here for two nights straight, but I'm not letting it stop me 😭 #NorthernLights

The Manhattan skyline in the background, with the East River in the middle and a telescope in the foreground. The sky is colored with pink, teal and green highlights to mock the northern lights, that are not visible from NYC this evening.

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Kat Troche @kuiperkat.org · 26/10/2025

Join us on November 1, 2025, 6:00 PM - 9:00 PM at Pat's Lawn at Inwood Hill Park for #AutumnStarfest! Celebrate 30 years of star parties in NYC with free views of #Saturn, presentations from @astroontapnyc.bsky.social, raffle prizes, and more! Full details: aaa.org/event/autumn...

Event flyer for the Amateur Astronomers Association’s 30th Annual Autumn Starfest, taking place Saturday, November 1, 2025, from 6–9 PM at Pat’s Lawn in Inwood Hill Park. Event includes free telescope views, raffle prizes, and guest speakers from Astronomy on Tap NYC.

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Kat Troche @kuiperkat.org · 21/10/2025

Making lemonade from lemons while chasing #CometLemmon 🍋💫 #comets #SeestarS50

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Kat Troche @kuiperkat.org · 20/10/2025

Don't forget to check out Comet Lemmon, starting Monday Oct. 20. Closest approach to Earth is Oct. 21, so be sure to look up! You can find this comet near the star Arcturus. It'll be visible naked eye, but bonus if you have binoculars and can get away from city lights!

The meme image shows a little girl labeled “COMET 3I/ATLAS” being happily lifted in a pool by an adult labeled “THE MEDIA,” while another child labeled “COMET LEMMON” struggles swimming. The bottom half shows a skeleton sitting in a chair at the bottom of the ocean labeled “C/2025 R2 (SWAN)".

A sky map showing the location on Comet Lemmon near the star Arcturus on October 21, 2025 at 7:15 PM.

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Kat Troche @kuiperkat.org · 18/10/2025

I haven't been to a block party in ages.

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Kat Troche @kuiperkat.org · 02/10/2025

October is full of #stargazing in #NYC! To find an event near you, visit aaa.org/calendar! #astronomy #outreach

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Kat Troche @kuiperkat.org · 13/09/2025

DYK we have a periodic #MeteorShower this weekend? The Chi Cygnids are expected to peak between September 13-15th. Unlike regular meteor showers, this one happens every five years with an unknown number of slow moving shooting stars. Try to find them this weekend!

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Kat Troche @kuiperkat.org · 20/08/2025

DYK our #Moon doesn’t just change phases? It also appears to wobble in the sky through a motion called #Libration. This video from NASA's Science Visualization Studio shows the apparent rolling motion of our Moon, due to its near 5° tilt and elliptical orbit. Learn more at moon.nasa.gov/observe

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Kat Troche @kuiperkat.org · 17/07/2025

Huge shout out to my colleagues at @astrosociety.org for getting me this opportunity, to my family/friends for thinking what I do is cool, and my astrono-babe, Michael, for backing me up every step of the way 💖

A smiling woman stands in a living room holding an Emmy® Award. She is wearing glasses and a black t-shirt with bold red text that reads “TOWER RECORDS.”

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Kat Troche @kuiperkat.org · 17/07/2025

I haven't stopped crying. The biggest thanks in the world goes to the #NASA team for bringing me in on this amazing project, resulting in an #EmmyAwards win — something I'd've never thought was possible.

A close-up of an Emmy® Award resting in a black velvet-lined display case. The gold statue features a winged figure holding an atom. The base inscription reads:
2024–2025 News & Documentary Emmy® Awards
Outstanding Live News Special
2024 Total Solar Eclipse: Through the Eyes of NASA
NASA+
Kat Troche, Cameraperson

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Kat Troche @kuiperkat.org · 03/07/2025

Back in May, #NASA took home the #WebbyAwards win in 'Video & Film: Limited-Series & Specials-Events & Live' for their broadcast '2024 Total Solar Eclipse: Through the Eyes of NASA'! As one of the telescope operators, I was given the opportunity receive an award! Now, back to the grind ✨🔭

A close-up photo of a 2025 Webby Award trophy nestled in a black satin-lined box. The trophy features a silver coil design engraved with binary code (0s and 1s to spell W-E-B-B-Y) and a metal base with an inscription that reads:
“2025 Webby Award Winner
Video & Film: Limited-Series & Specials–Events & Live Streams
2024 NASA Eclipse Broadcast
Kat Troche.”

A person smiling while holding a large Webby Award trophy close to their face. The trophy features a shiny silver coil design with engraved binary code and a metal base with an inscription. The person is wearing a dark shirt with a light blue map-like graphic. The background is a neutral-colored wall.

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Kat Troche @kuiperkat.org · 20/06/2025

Looks like you dropped this.

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Kat Troche @kuiperkat.org · 12/06/2025

Being in a space with passionate astronomy educators and researchers helps remind me why we continue the fight for science. #ExploreAstronomy

Swirling green bands of Aurora in the night sky above a thick band of clouds, as seen from an airplane 30,000 feet up. Near the top of the aurora, purple colors appear along with a dark night sky scattered with stars.

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Kat Troche @kuiperkat.org · 12/06/2025

I had a blast representing @astrosociety.org at #AAS246! Huge thanks to the @aas.org Education Committee and #AnchorageMuseum for putting on an incredible outreach event, in addition to the various special sessions I was invited to be a part of.

A woman in blue jeans, a gray shirt and a red ball cap standing in front of a mural pained on the side of a building that says 'Greetings from Alaska' with the northern lights painted into the picture, and various scenes of a bear catching salmon and an eagle flying over mountains and a glacier painted into the letters.

A dark mountain range with snow covering the tops of the mountains in the background, with a dense green forest in the mid ground, and a lake in the foreground. The mountains are reflected in the lake due to its clarity.

A woman at a podium addressing an audience with an image of people on a projector screen along with text that says "Why success requires diversity. (Pictured above: eclipse ambassadors from the Astronomical Society of the Pacific."

A woman standing on a lawn with green grass, between two telescopes that are looking at the sun, and a person looking through one of telescopes. There are several people in the background walking around.

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Kat Troche @kuiperkat.org · 22/05/2025

Today I visited my old middle school for their #CareerDay. Representing astrosociety.org, nightskynetwork.org, aaa.org, and solarsystem.nasa.gov, I was able to convince approx. 300 kids that they can reach for the stars right here in Brooklyn ✨ Thanks, IS 162. Go Bees 🐝

A group of students in a gymnasium attending a career fair event, visiting various tables and taking down information from guests.

A woman in a gray blazer and pinstripe shirt standing behind a table and chair. The table has an open laptop with a brief biography about the woman written, a white coffee thermos, a black and green teaching telescope, along with handouts containing information about nebulae.

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Kat Troche @kuiperkat.org · 15/05/2025

the candle (maybe) works!

A person is holding a box labeled “Science Prayer Candle” by Cognitive Surplus. Additional text says “100% as effective as prayer,” with the tagline, “You’ve tried everything else, what harm could it do?” The side of the box reads “GUARANTEED TO WORK!” followed by, “…and if it doesn’t, rinse with boiling water, fill it with whiskey, and toast to a good try!”

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Kat Troche @kuiperkat.org · 12/05/2025

hi! quick question: what the fuck?

Billboard for an artificial intelligence company called Artisan with a photo of a "woman" that says 'Stop hiring humans. The era of AI employees is here.'

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Kat Troche @kuiperkat.org · 11/05/2025

You've just been Moon'd 😘

An image of a waxing gibbous moon displaying dark and light areas of the lunar surface. Also seen are craters of various sizes.

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Kat Troche @kuiperkat.org · 08/04/2025

Still in awe that I was able to experience the 2024 #TotalSolarEclipse with the NASA360 team and millions of people across the US. Here's to Australia 2028 🇦🇺☀️🔭

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