Women In Astronomy

Friday, August 21, 2026

AASWomen Newsletter for August 21, 2026

NASA astronaut Anil Menon (sideways, just below the dish) and ESA astronaut Sophie Adenot work to remove a failed Space-To-Ground antenna at the Z-1 truss outside of the International Space Station on Tuesday, Aug. 18, 2026. (Image credit: NASA)

AAS Committee on the Status of Women
Issue of August 21, 2026
eds: Jeremy Bailin, Sethanne Howard, Ferah Munshi, Stella Kafka, and Ben Keller

[We hope you all are taking care of yourselves and each other. --eds.]

This week's issues:

1. Crosspost: New Astronomy Bachelors: What Comes Next
2. How women physicists in India are breaking down barriers and shaping the future
3. NASA astronaut and 1st female French spacewalker remove failed ISS antenna but run out of time for replacement
4. Women in Science Leadership Award for Prof. Tandoğan!
5. Meet Annapurni Subramaniam, the Indian astrophysicist who became the first Indian woman to win the COSPAR Vikram Sarabhai Medal
6. Job Opportunities
7. How to Submit to the AASWOMEN newsletter
8. How to Subscribe or Unsubscribe to the AASWOMEN newsletter
9. Access to Past Issues

An online version of this newsletter will be available at http://womeninastronomy.blogspot.com/ at 3:00 PM ET every Friday.

Crosspost: New Astronomy Bachelors: What Comes Next

Posted by Kimberly S. Mitchell

Today's crosspost features a report from AIP's Bachelor's Degree Recipient Follow-Up Survey. The survey covered three academic years from 2021 to 2024 and summarizes the responses for astronomy bachelor's degree holders upon graduation.

The report revealed that the awarding of astronomy bachelor's degrees hit an all-time high at 982 in 2024 (most recent survey data). Of those degrees, 41% were awarded to women, and 56% of astronomy degrees were a double major, most commonly paired with physics.

Upon graduation, 51% of degree holders entered the workforce, and 42% were enrolled in a graduate program for the following winter, with 7% unemployed. Those who entered the private sector in STEM jobs drew notably higher salaries than non-STEM private sector jobs and college or university jobs.

For all insights from the New Astronomy Bachelors: What Comes Next report, visit https://www.aip.org/statistics/new-astronomy-bachelors-what-comes-next.

Friday, August 14, 2026

AASWomen Newsletter for August 14, 2026

Posted by Ben Keller

Camera Obscura Shadows of the Solar Eclipse

AAS Committee on the Status of Women
Issue of August 14, 2026
eds: Jeremy Bailin, Sethanne Howard, Ferah Munshi, Stella Kafka, and Ben Keller

[We hope you all are taking care of yourselves and each other. --eds.]

This week's issues:

1. August 12, 2026 Solar Eclipse in Photos
2. AAS Policy Update (6 August 2026)
3. Call for Applications: 2027 Shapley Visiting Lectures Program
4. Living Fully in the Math World Means Threading the Needle
5. Why are Women Leaving Computer Science?
6. What Barriers Do Women in Science Face When Trying to Publish?
7. How to Submit to the AASWOMEN newsletter
8. How to Subscribe or Unsubscribe to the AASWOMEN newsletter
9. Access to Past Issues

An online version of this newsletter will be available at http://womeninastronomy.blogspot.com/ at 3:00 PM ET every Friday.

August 12, 2026 Solar Eclipse in Photos

Posted by Kimberly S. Mitchell

Yesterday much of Europe enjoyed a solar eclipse. The path of totality swept across Greenland, Iceland, and Spain, along with a tiny corner of Portugal. For those not in the path, the partial solar eclipse was still an exciting event.

I live outside of Lisbon, which experienced a deep partial eclipse with 95% coverage. In the days leading up to the eclipse, certified eclipse glasses sold out in nearly every pharmacy and vision center. I turned to online shopping and managed to have some delivered overnight, ordering a box of 50 to do so. Though I only needed four, the other 46 pairs were quickly claimed through my local running club, and I was happy to play a small role in their enjoyment of the event.

My family headed to a local park during the afternoon to let the kids run off some energy, then we walked to the nearby coastline, where we had a clear view of the sun. We carefully used our eclipse glasses and spent time using our kitchen colander to project shadows onto the concrete and a park bench. My daughters were particularly fascinated with this trick. We were awed by how the sun "set" during the eclipse and then set again on our drive home. Even though we weren't in the path of totality, this was the most coverage I've seen, and it was an experience to remember.

I've added a few of my event pictures here, although I'm not a photographer, so I don't have any true eclipse photos. I also added links to photos from other sites for those of you not able to see this one. And mark your calendars, since next year's eclipse on August 2, 2027, will include a partial eclipse in the U.S. (Maine) and Canada, and the path of totality will once again cross part of Spain and into North Africa and the Middle East. Time to start planning now!

Find professional photos of the eclipse at Smithsonian Magazine, National Geographic, NPR, and NASA.

Eclipse viewers walking back after the peak and sailboats on the Atlantic viewing the eclipse in Cascais, Portugal.
Photo: Kimberly Mitchell

Getting ready for the eclipse.
Photo: Kimberly Mitchell

Side by side photos of crescent moon shadows projected through a colander.

Colander moons
Photo: Kimberly Mitchell

Blogger Kimberly Mitchell with eclipse glasses.

CSWA blogger Kimberly Mitchell
Photo: Kimberly Mitchell

The shadow of a girl and a colander from the eclipse.

Solar eclipse shadows
Photo: Kimberly Mitchell

Saturday, August 8, 2026

AASWomen Newsletter for August 7, 2026

Posted by Jeremy Bailin

Keitumetse Molamu, item 6.
Credit Keitumetse Molamu.

AAS Committee on the Status of Women
Issue of August 7, 2026
eds: Jeremy Bailin, Ferah Munshi, Stella Kafka, and Ben Keller

[We hope you all are taking care of yourselves and each other. --eds.]

This week's issues:

1. Crosspost: Physics Bachelor’s Degree Recipients : Recent Trends, Educational Characteristics, and Influences
2. American Association of University Women announces 2026-2027 fellowship and grant recipients
3. American Doctoral Fellowship Applications Open Soon
4. How women in physics in India are breaking down barriers and shaping the future
5. Australian Museum 100 people exhibition: Ruby Payne-Scott
6. Interview with Keitumetse Molamu, head of Engineering and Technology Development for the South African Radio Observatory
7. How to Submit to the AASWOMEN newsletter
8. How to Subscribe or Unsubscribe to the AASWOMEN newsletter
9. Access to Past Issues

An online version of this newsletter will be available at http://womeninastronomy.blogspot.com/ at 3:00 PM ET every Friday.

Crosspost: Physics Bachelor’s Degree Recipients : Recent Trends, Educational Characteristics, and Influences

Posted by Kimberly S. Mitchell

AIP released its report over physics bachelor's degree recipients. There is good news for women in STEM.

Women earned 27% of the physics bachelor’s degrees awarded in the 2024–25 academic year, the highest proportion on record.

Since 1983, the percent of women receiving physics bachelor's degrees has risen from around twelve percent of all degrees awarded. Though that's good news, it still places well below the total percentage of women receiving bachelor's degrees each year at 58% of all awarded degrees.