Experience

Katherine “Kat” Troche is an amateur astronomer, educator, and community leader passionate about making the night sky accessible to everyone. Based in New York City, Kat leads astronomy outreach through her platform Kuiper Kat’s Astronomy, where she organizes public stargazing events, writes about celestial phenomena, and connects communities with the wonders of space.

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She serves as President of the Amateur Astronomers Association (AAA), guiding one of the nation’s oldest astronomy clubs toward a more community-centered future. Kat is also a NASA Solar System Ambassador and project coordinator for the Astronomical Society of the Pacific’s Night Sky Network, supporting over 400 astronomy clubs across the U.S.

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In 2023, she was selected for the Astronomy in Chile Educator Ambassadors Program (ACEAP), bringing back firsthand knowledge from world-class observatories. She also contributed to NASA’s Emmy and Webby Award–winning broadcast, 2024 Total Solar Eclipse: Through the Eyes of NASA.

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Kat’s work has been featured in The New York Times, WNYC, Gothamist, Bloomberg Quicktake, Wired, Business Insider, and more. Whether hosting a star party in Central Park or writing about the cosmos, her goal is simple: to inspire wonder and remind us all that the universe belongs to everyone.