Astro Society Awards Gala 2026

The Astro Society, founded in 1889 as the Astronomical Society of the Pacific, is holding a gala event for the annual ASP Awards, where we recognize individual achievements in astronomy research, technology, education, and public outreach. Recipients of our awards have included space luminaries such as Edwin Hubble, Vera Rubin, Isaac Asimov, Margaret Burbidge, Carl Sagan, and Katherine Johnson.

Our most prestigious award, the Catherine Wolfe Bruce Gold Medal, was established in 1889 by Catherine Wolfe Bruce, an American philanthropist and patroness of astronomy. The Bruce Gold Medal has been awarded annually by the ASP to a professional astronomer in recognition of a lifetime of outstanding achievement and contributions to astrophysics research and is one of the most important awards in the field.

This year, we are delighted to welcome actress and author Kate Mulgrew as our keynote speaker! Best known for her role as Captain Kathryn Janeway in Star Trek: Voyager, Kate is a champion of STEAM education and intellectual inquiry.

We look forward to an evening celebrating space, science, and the brilliant minds that explore our universe!