Young stargazers gather to explore careers in space science

Young people who dream of becoming space scientists while gazing at the night sky will come together for a special event that gives them a chance to meet working astronomers, explore an active research facility and observe stars through telescopes firsthand.

The Korea Astronomy and Space Science Institute announced Wednesday that it will hold the 2026 Student Astronomical Observation Festival at its Daejeon headquarters on Saturday.

The festival is designed to let young people experience astronomical observation directly, interact with professional astronomers and explore career paths in space science. It was first held in 2007 and this year marks its 20th edition.

About 100 students and supervising teachers from 25 middle and high school astronomy clubs across the country will take part in this year's festival.

Participating students will tour the institute's research facilities to see what astronomers actually do. Sessions will also be arranged for them to speak directly with researchers about their experiences in space science and the career paths they have taken.

The highlight of the event is a hands-on program in which students set up telescopes themselves and observe the night sky.

Students will use telescopes to observe constellations and major celestial objects, exploring the mysteries of the universe firsthand. The observation program will be tailored to different skill levels, with support from certified astronomy instructors affiliated with the Korean Amateur Astronomy Society.

New this year is a program called "Finding Past Festival Participants," which looks back at the festival's history and the journeys of those who attended over the years.

The institute plans to collect stories through SNS from students who participated in the festival since 2007 — including their experiences, the career paths they have since pursued and how the event influenced their choices.

Based on those submissions, the institute will produce content featuring the growth stories of past participants and share it on an ongoing basis.

The initiative aims to show what fields former young stargazers are now working in, while also broadening the view of career possibilities for this year's participants.

The institute hopes the event will go beyond a simple stargazing experience, giving young people a chance to deepen their curiosity about astronomy and space science and take a more concrete step toward their dreams of becoming scientists.