The Night Sky Network, founded by the Jet Propulsion Laboratory's Planetquest program, is a nationwide coalition of astronomy clubs bringing the science and inspiration of NASA's missions to the public.

The Night Sky Network is a partnership of amateur astronomy clubs, NASA, Astronomical Society of the Pacific, and the Astronomical League.

Amateur astronomers regularly share their knowledge, time, and telescopes to bring amazing aspects of astronomy to the public.

In 2002, the Astronomical Society of the Pacific conducted a survey of amateur astronomers to determine the nature of outreach by amateurs. In the survey, amateurs express the need for support of their outreach efforts. The main requests were:

• Materials on themed topics * Training in the use of the materials http://www.astroleague.org * Effective ways to communicate with varied audiences * Networking with other amateurs doing outreach

The Night Sky Network was inaugurated to help meet these needs.

Amateur astronomers have an interest in providing the public with entertaining, engaging ways to learn basic astronomy concepts. It is one of NASA's education goals as well to improve the American public's understanding of astronomy.

The Night Sky Network was developed with the dedicated assistance of an advisory team of amateur astronomy clubs.

Last Updated: 24 February 2011