The Universe at a Meeting

Last week, I attended the summer meeting of the American Astronomical Society. This year it was held in Denver, so relatively close to home for me. It was good to see all my colleagues, and very cool to hear some of the latest and greatest astronomy results. It’s almost like a firehose of astro info, and luckily, the AAS has a very capable press officer who pulls together some really great briefings for the press. They’re really more like seminars. Most of the press members who attend this meeting have a great deal of astronomy background, and it’s a pleasure to share those experiences with them.

In the coming weeks I’ll focus some of my entries on the most newsworthy stories we heard this past week, and on a few discussions I found myself participating in with both scientists and fellow writers.  The topics ranged from studies of objects in our own solar system all the way out to galaxies in the earliest epochs of cosmic time.

Certainly, in a meeting of astronomers, we find a lot to talk about, both about the science as well as the instruments that get used to make the ongoing discoveries.  Lately, there’s also been a lot of talk about the International Space Station and what’s going to happen with it. I can’t say that everyone at AAS is a fan of ISS, but the overall trend toward cutting important programs for political gain is something that concerns everyone.

So, stay tuned. I’m back from hiatus, and ready to share the cosmos again!