AAS Nova and Astrobites as Bridges Between Astronomy Communities

Abstract

AbstractEducation and outreach in astronomy often focuses on communicating broad astronomical concepts. But how can educators and outreach practitioners also share current astronomical research results with students and the public, conveying both the process of science and the excitement of new discoveries? AAS Nova and Astrobites are two resources freely available to the astronomy community and the general public, intended to help readers learn about the most recent research published across the field of astronomy. Both supported by the American Astronomical Society, these two daily astrophysical literature blogs provide accessible summaries of recent publications in AAS journals and on the arXiv. As both AAS Nova and Astrobites directly distill original studies, these resources constitute a critical bridge between astronomy researchers and educators, outreach practitioners, and the broader astronomy community. The material on these two websites — which includes a total archive of more than 2,500 research study summaries — is written accessibly while still providing access to the original sources and outcomes. As a result, AAS Nova and Astrobites can be used by educators and outreach practitioners to easily introduce the latest in astronomical research studies into classrooms and outreach events.