YSPA at Yale’s Leitner Family Observatory & Planetarium

Each summer, the Leitner Family Observatory and Planetarium becomes home to the Yale Summer Program in Astrophysics (YSPA) — an immersive and inspiring experience for 32 rising high school juniors and seniors with a passion for science, math, and the cosmos.

YSPA begins with a two-week online self-study course that sets the stage for a transformative four-week residential program on Yale’s campus. Students live together in Yale dorms, forming a close-knit community of future scientists, while diving into college-level astrophysics. They attend lectures beneath the stars at the Leitner Planetarium, sharpen their coding and data analysis skills in the observatory’s computer lab, and operate professional telescopes to collect real astronomical data.

The program culminates in a full scientific research experience: students write and submit their own scientific papers and present their findings at the YSPA mini-conference — their first step into the world of academic research and discovery.

Whether students are aiming for a future in science or tech, YSPA offers a one-of-a-kind opportunity to explore the universe while experiencing life at one of the world’s leading research universities.