This weekend, thousands of avid amateur astronomers and interested hobbyists are converging on Pasadena, California, for the 2009 Pacific Astronomy and Telescope Show (PATS). And, guess what? I’m here, too.
Astronomy magazine represents the largest audience available to manufacturers developing new telescopes, cameras, eyepieces, and a wide array of accessories. I’m looking forward to seeing them all this weekend. It’s get-togethers like this where we choose many of the products we’ll review in the next year.
I’m looking forward to seeing some old friends. I’ll meet with manufacturer representatives and imagers and others.
Contributing editors Mike Reynolds and Stephen James O’Meara are also here. Both are scheduled to speak on Sunday. Mike’s talk is “Catch a Falling Star,” which can only be about meteorite collecting. Mike is an acknowledged expert in meteoritics who wrote a book about the subject and traveled the world in search of space rocks.
Steve’s talk also has an intriguing title — “The Devil’s Broom: Comets and the Salem Witch Hysteria of 1692.” For those of you who follow Steve’s column in Astronomy, you’re familiar with his wide-ranging topics. I’m jazzed to hear both talks.
Look for more blogs and also upcoming pics and flicks from this year’s PATS, which, by the way, is only the second annual. I’m sure I’ll have lots to chat about.
Related: 2008 Pacific Astronomy and Telescope Show (PATS)