Kat Troche
LightNews LightNews
banner
kuiperkat.org
Kat Troche
@kuiperkat.org
830 followers 1.3K following 270 posts
Professional amateur astronomer with astrosociety.org + aaa.org 💫
Have scope, will travel 🔭
Opinions are my own 👩🏻‍💻

linktr.ee/kuiperkat
Posts Replies Media Videos
kuiperkat.org
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 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.
January 11, 2026 at 9:03 AM
kuiperkat.org
#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.
January 8, 2026 at 5:32 PM
kuiperkat.org
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.
January 5, 2026 at 3:16 PM
kuiperkat.org
Share a great female villain.
December 28, 2025 at 4:52 AM
kuiperkat.org
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
December 9, 2025 at 7:10 AM
kuiperkat.org
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
December 8, 2025 at 1:02 AM
kuiperkat.org
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.
November 13, 2025 at 3:42 AM
kuiperkat.org
Split image meme showing an aurora forecast map on the left with a glowing red and green oval over the Arctic and a marker reading “0%” over the U.S., and on the right a man screaming “HERE IT COMES.”
November 13, 2025 at 1:47 AM
kuiperkat.org
A photo of a man smiling for a mock article titled: Heartwarming: The Worst People You Know Are All Fighting
November 3, 2025 at 6:35 PM
kuiperkat.org
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.
October 26, 2025 at 5:05 AM
kuiperkat.org
Making lemonade from lemons while chasing #CometLemmon 🍋💫 #comets #SeestarS50
October 21, 2025 at 4:36 AM
kuiperkat.org
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.
October 20, 2025 at 3:44 AM
kuiperkat.org
I haven't been to a block party in ages.
BlueSky account for Trump's White House
October 18, 2025 at 7:59 AM
kuiperkat.org
October is full of #stargazing in #NYC! To find an event near you, visit aaa.org/calendar! #astronomy #outreach
October 2, 2025 at 2:04 AM
kuiperkat.org
Doomscrolling break.
A wide-field image showing dark nebulae and faint reddish emission nebulosity, likely part of the North America Nebula region. Dust clouds weave through a starry field, with subtle glowing structures visible. A deep-sky image of the Dumbbell Nebula (M27), a bright planetary nebula glowing turquoise-green with hints of red at its edges, surrounded by countless stars. Captured with a Seestar S50 over 21 minutes. The Eagle Nebula (M16) with its reddish gas clouds and dark dust lanes, including the iconic Pillars of Creation at the center, set against a star-filled background. Captured with a Seestar S50 over 35 minutes.
September 20, 2025 at 7:56 PM
kuiperkat.org
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!
September 13, 2025 at 5:15 AM
kuiperkat.org
To everyone catching tonight's #NorthernLights.
A photo collage of a small child looking mad, with the caption "Congrats", "Happy For You", "Nice"
September 2, 2025 at 3:16 AM
kuiperkat.org
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
August 20, 2025 at 3:41 AM
kuiperkat.org
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.”
July 17, 2025 at 10:23 PM
kuiperkat.org
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
July 17, 2025 at 10:23 PM
kuiperkat.org
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.
July 3, 2025 at 12:34 AM
kuiperkat.org
Looks like you dropped this.
A dog and whistle.
June 20, 2025 at 2:16 PM
kuiperkat.org
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.
June 12, 2025 at 2:48 PM
kuiperkat.org
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.
June 12, 2025 at 2:48 PM
kuiperkat.org
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.
May 22, 2025 at 1:05 AM