Astronomy Organizations

The Astronomical Society of the Pacific (www.astrosociety.org) is the largest and oldest national astronomy organization in the U.S. The membership of the Society, founded in 1889, includes astronomers, educators, and astronomy enthusiasts. Their site features a non-profit catalog of interesting astronomy items (posters, videos, software, etc.) and also a large quantity of information related to astronomy education.

The Planetary Society (www.planetary.org), founded by the late Carl Sagan, works to encourage planetary exploration and searches for life elsewhere in the universe.

The Astronomical League (www.astroleague.org) is an umbrella organization for all astronomy clubs in the U.S. Their site features lists of astronomy clubs around the country, activities and hints for astronomy hobbyists, as well as information on regional and national programs.

The Royal Astronomical Society of Canada (www.rasc.ca) is a membership organization that unites professional and amateur astronomers around Canada. It has 26 centers around that country with local activities.

NASA (www.nasa.gov) has an astronomical amount of information (pun intended) on its many web sites. Most projects and NASA centers have their own web sites.

Professional Organizations

• American Astronomical Society ( http://www.aas.org )
• American Institute of Physics ( http://www.aip.org )
• American Physical Society ( http://www.aps.org )
• Astronomical Society of the Pacific ( http://www.astrosociety.org )
• British Astronomical Association ( http://britastro.org/baa )
• Board on Physics and Astronomy ( http://www.nas.edu/bpa )
• International Astronomical Union ( http://www.iau.org )
• The Planetary Society ( http://planetary.org )