About Me
Katherine "Kat" Troche is an astronomer, educator, and community builder on a mission to make the night sky feel a little less out of reach. Based in New York City, she runs Kuiper Kat's Astronomy — a platform where stargazing events, cosmic deep-dives, and community connection all come together under one roof (or, more accurately, one open sky).
As President of the Amateur Astronomers Association (AAA), one of the country's oldest astronomy clubs, Kat is focused on shaping a more inclusive, community-driven future for the organization. She also serves as an informal educator with the Astronomical Society of the Pacific, supporting over 400 astronomy clubs across the U.S., through NASA's Night Sky Network program. She brings that same energy to her roles as a NASA Solar System Ambassador and Education Sub-Committee Member for the American Astronomical Society.
In 2023, Kat was selected for the Astronomy in Chile Educator Ambassadors Program (ACEAP), where she gained firsthand experience at some of the world's most advanced observatories — knowledge she's been sharing with schools and communities ever since. She contributed to NASA's Emmy and Webby Award-winning broadcast, 2024 Total Solar Eclipse: Through the Eyes of NASA.
Her work has been featured in The New York Times, Wired, Gothamist, Bloomberg Quicktake, Business Insider, WNYC, and more.
At the end of the day, Kat's goal is pretty simple: to spark wonder, lower the barriers to astronomy, and remind people that the universe belongs to all of us.