ABOUT

Since 2023, the Allegheny Observers have provided students with a clear path to the stars. 

Started by two high school volunteers with zero astrophysics knowledge at the University of Pittsburgh, the Allegheny Observers has become the largest high school astrophysics research group in Western Pennsylvania with over 60 members from 15+ schools. 

With a focus on keeping astrophysics accessible in terms of both cost and ease of learning, the Allegheny Observers has facilitated annual research trips at the national Green Bank radio observatory, helped students research black hole accretion disks, perform spectroscopic analysis of nebulae, and Wolf-Rayet stars using the Keeler PlaneWave CDK24 telescope, and hosted Teen Science Cafés, where local teens learn about the cosmos through lectures from leading cosmologists like Dr. Arthur Kosowsky (all organized by the teens themselves!) 

Members spread the word through radio shows like SLB and lectures at the MoonShot Museum and Allegheny Observatory, so every child in Western Pennsylvania knows they can become an astrophysicist. 

Since our founding, we’ve helped fellow students win awards at science fairs from the local to the international level, but the most rewarding part of our work is sharing our joy of the cosmos with everyone.