This weekend is full of firsts for me. Not only will it be my first time attending the Northeast Astronomy Forum (NEAF), it’s also the first time I’ve ever been in New Jersey. Let us say my first impressions of each are mixed.
Thursday night, I arrived at Newark Liberty International Airport Thursday late, partly because of a technical problem with the plane, and partly because apparently everyone arrives late to Newark. Upon deplaning, I realized I’d now have to navigate my way through New Jersey in the dark (for 46 minutes, according to Google Maps), and when it started raining just as I got into the rental car, I realized just what kind of a night it would be. After hours on the road (apparently it’s construction season on the East Coast as well as the Midwest), I finally checked in at 11 p.m.
“What time is the restaurant open till?” I asked after getting my room keys.
“11 p.m. which was just a few minutes ago,” came the quick reply. “Sorry.”
Suffice it to say, this state and I have not gotten off on the right foot. The convention that brought me here, though, is another story.
Friday morning I met up early with Senior Editor Rich Talcott, and we went to the final day of the Northeast Astro-Imaging Conference (NEAIC). Between talks on getting the most out of Photoshop and tips for amateurs, we met up and chatted with numerous imaging companies like QSI and AstroTrac. After lunch, Rich and I split up, and I saw a talk by Debra Ceravolo titled “Image processing and food: Getting back to nature.” Ceravolo argued that astroimaging was too full of oversaturated and overprocessed images; a healthy imaging diet should include less eye-candy and more natural-light astroimages.
Afterward, Rich and I met up with Publisher Kevin Keefe, Advertising Sales Manager Jeff Felbab, and Advertising Sales Representative Ken Kozerski at NEAF’s convention hall in Rockland Community College. Although most companies were still setting up, it was exciting just to see the sheer size of the convention, more than 130 groups all gathered for one purpose: to promote astronomy. Telescopes, imaging software, publications, and even t-shirts and toys will all be represented this weekend, and I can’t wait for the festivities to start today. I can already tell being at NEAF will be a fun and worthwhile experience, even if I did have to go through New Jersey first.
I’ll be live tweeting (@AstronomyMag) from NEAF, shooting video, and writing up more blogs afterward, so you’ll be covered on the happenings even if you can’t make it. And if you can, by all means, stop by our booth and say hi!
Related blogs:
On the Road Day 1: Northeast Astro-Imaging Conference, by Senior Editor Richard Talcott
On the Road Day 2: Northeast Astro-Imaging Conference, by Senior Editor Richard Talcott