I’ve updated the list of cool press release stories from the AAS — if you want to read them yourself, point your browser here.

So, what’s new at the meeting today? For the past couple of days I’ve been attending press conferences and browsing the exhibits hall. The exhibitors range from observatories and institutions to companies selling everything from software to hardware to planetarium instruments to jewelry, t-shirts and books. The press conferences have been extremely informative. We’ve learned about extrasolar planets, distant galaxy formation, a planet that has a strong magnetic field and is heating its own star (called the “Man (or Woman) Bites Dog Planet”), new mechanisms for star formation in colliding galaxies, and so many other things it’s hard to describe it all. I think my favorite session was yesterday, when a group of us sat down for a writer’s workshop about Mars, led by astronomer/artist William K. Hartmann. While I had some background in the subject, it was great fun to hear the latest and greatest from somebody who’s active in the field.