Meet Terri McManus

Terri McManus spent 29 years as an educator, with her final and most cherished role being a 17-year journey teaching space science to elementary students. During that time, she longed for constellation stories written at a level her youngest learners could enjoy. When she couldn’t find them, she began writing the stories herself—bringing the magic of the stars into the hands of children.

Terri earned her B.A. from Colorado Women’s College and her teaching credentials from Michigan State University. She later pursued her M.S. in Space Studies from the University of North Dakota. Her work has been published in the Occultation Newsletter, and she has served as a Cassini Educator Fellow, a Solar System Educator through NASA/JPL, and a Teacher Liaison with The Space Foundation.

Passionate about the night sky, Terri has participated in numerous astronomical research expeditions and delights in retelling constellation stories from cultures around the world. She lives in Topeka, Kansas, with her husband, Craig, and their poodle, Rigel—named after the brightest star in Orion.