Virtual Sessions Set for July 10, 11 Bring Professional and Amateur Astronomers Together

SIMI VALLEY, Calif. and WASHINGTON, June 16, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- The Association of Lunar & Planetary Observers (ALPO) and the Universities Space Research Association (USRA) are pleased to announce that the ALPO's 2026 annual Conference will be held virtually on Friday and Saturday, July 10 and 11, 2026, and will feature USRA's Dr. David A. Kring as its keynote speaker. The Conference, accessible via Zoom, will be streamed live and will also be available on the Association's YouTube channel at https://www.youtube.com/c/AssociationofLunarandPlanetaryObservers.

Dr. Kring's keynote address, "Exploring the Moon in the Age of Artemis," will explore candidate landing sites and geologic traverses that have been studied in preparation for lunar surface operations by Artemis astronauts. Dr. Kring will introduce the lunar south polar region, describe scientific and exploration objectives there, and discuss additional opportunities for scientific exploration elsewhere on the Moon.

More peer-reviewed studies of candidate Artemis landing sites and potential astronaut traverses have been published by Dr. Kring's team than any other in the world; he helped provide basic geologic training for most flight active astronauts, writing both an award-winning geologic field guide for a key training site, "Guidebook to the Geology of Barringer Meteorite Crater, Arizona, a.k.a. Meteor Crater," and the monograph "Astronaut Training for Operations in Impact-Cratered Terrains."  Dr. Kring is also the founder of the LPI-JSC Center for Lunar Science and Exploration (CLSE) and, for the past fifteen years, has served consecutively on the Executive Committees of the NASA Lunar Science Institute and the NASA Solar System Exploration Research Virtual Institute. 

Founded in 1947, the ALPO's annual Conference brings together professional and amateur astronomers from around the world to discuss their collection and analysis of observations made throughout the year. Technical presentations will be made by ALPO members, and topics include Earth-based observations, observing techniques, and key discoveries made. The 2026 Conference begins at 10:00 am PT (1:00 pm ET) on July 10, and features seven 25-minute sessions ending at 2:15 pm PT (5:15 pm ET). Day one concludes with the ALPO annual Board Meeting, commencing at 4:00 pm PT (7:00pm ET). Following Saturday's final session, three awards presentations will take place, and the Conference ends following the conclusion of the keynote speaker address beginning at 4:30 pm PT (7:30 pm ET).

The full Conference agenda can be viewed by visiting www.alpo-astronomy.org. ALPO members may obtain their Zoom access hyperlinks from ALPO executive director Tim Robertson at tim.robertson@alpo-astronomy.org.

USRA/LPI has deep professional, educational, and university connections, and the ALPO has a long-running, organized, international network of experienced observers producing lunar, planetary, and other solar system observations. Working together, we can create a stronger bridge between public enthusiasm, amateur observation, student research, and professional planetary science.

About ALPO

The Association of Lunar & Planetary Observers (ALPO), a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization, is an international organization devoted to study the Sun, Moon, planets within and beyond our Solar System, asteroids, meteors, and comets. The Association's goals are to stimulate, coordinate, and generally promote the study of these bodies using methods and instruments available within the communities of both amateur and professional astronomers.

The ALPO collects and analyzes observations of various Solar System bodies and associated phenomena and publishes detailed reports concerning these bodies in its quarterly publication the ALPO Journal, otherwise known as The Strolling Astronomer.

For more information, please visit www.alpo-astronomy.org

Media Contact:
Ronald May
ron.may@alpo-astronomy.org 

About USRA

Founded in 1969, under the auspices of the National Academy of Sciences at the request of the U.S. Government, the Universities Space Research Association (USRA) is a nonprofit corporation chartered to advance space-related science, technology, and engineering. USRA operates scientific institutes and facilities and conducts other major research and educational programs under federal funding. USRA engages the university community and employs in-house scientific leadership, innovative research and development, and project management expertise. More information about USRA is available at www.usra.edu.

Media Contact:
Suraiya Farukhi, Ph.D.
Director, Communications
sfarukhi@usra.edu

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SOURCE Association of Lunar & Planetary Observers