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The IAU Office of Astronomy for Education is the International Astronomical Union’s office dedicated to astronomy for primary and secondary education.

OAE Objectives


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Professionalize astronomy education

Help astronomers, astronomy educators and teachers world-wide to gain the skills they need in order to communicate about astronomy in primary and secondary schools in a professional and effective manner.

We have regular calls for grants for teacher training programs and are running a series of OAE Reviews which serve as best practice guides for important topics in astronomy education. We also host an annual virtual conference, the Shaw-IAU workshops on astronomy for education

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Provide access to good resources

Make available excellent and effective resources for teaching about astronomical topics, internationally, under open licenses, and easy-to-find.

You can search our resources, browse resources by category, view our image gallery or look at our multilingual glossary.

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Promote astronomy in curricula

Support efforts to include more astronomy in national or regional curricula.

View our survey on the status of astronomy in curricula worldwide.




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OAE Networking

Create, maintain and grow a network of associates in support of the OAE mission.

We have a network of 404 National Astronomy Education Coordinators (NAECs) from 117 countries and territories, including the NAEC team for The United States of America (USA).

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Spread the news

Inform all relevant stakeholders and communities about OAE activities, and about ways of collaborating with us.

Sign up for the OAE mailing list or follow us on social media.


Collaborate with us

Interested in working with the OAE Office of Astronomy for Education? Then get in touch.

Latest OAE News

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IAU OAE Releases Evaluation Toolkit for Astronomy Education Programmes

The IAU Office of Astronomy for Education (OAE) is delighted to introduce the OAE Evaluation Framework & Toolkit to help astronomy educators — especially IAU National Astronomy Education Coordinator Teams — rigorously assess their programmes.

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Abstract Submission Open for the 5th Shaw-IAU Workshop

The IAU Office of Astronomy for Education (OAE) is pleased to announce that registration, abstract submission and speaker suggestions are open for the 5th Shaw–IAU Workshop on Astronomy for Education which will take place on 29th November - 1st December 2023.

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Third Astrophotography Contest of the IAU Office of Astronomy for Education

The Office of Astronomy for Education (OAE) is pleased to announce the third round of its astrophotography contest, in a joint endeavour with OAE Center Italy and its sister IAU Office for Astronomy Outreach as co-sponsors, aiming to increase its foundational collection of educational resources.

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OAE Mailing List

If you want to stay up to date with the activities of the IAU Office of Astronomy for Education, and receive our announcements about projects, opportunities for collaboration, and events, please subscribe to our mailing list.

More information

Find out more about the IAU OAE.

OAE Main Office

Find out more about the OAE's Main Office in Heidelberg.
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Centers and Nodes

Find out more about the OAE's network of locations at partner institutions.
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Open Positions

Find out how to join our team!
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NAEC teams

Find out more about our National Astronomy Education Coordinators (NAECs).
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Steering Committee

Meet our steering committee – the supervisory body of the OAE.
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