Outside my office today, a lake-effect snowstorm is dropping flakes the size of small birds into the Kalmbach Publishing Co. parking lot west of Milwaukee. But if the giant storm that’s set to pound much of the United States tomorrow doesn’t derail my plans, I’ll be heading to the Tucson Gem and Mineral Show (TGMS) on Friday, February 4. The TGMS is the premier event for meteorite and mineral collectors (it’s actually a conglomeration of many shows spread throughout the city). I’ll be blogging, shooting photos, and collecting videos of what’s happening in the world of meteorites for future articles in Astronomy magazine and online.
Before heading to the show, I’ll spend a couple days at Granite Gap and Rancho Hidalgo, the astronomy development southeast of Tucson that is gearing up to be an amateur astronomy mecca. There, developer Gene Turner is creating a “24/7 star party” with new observatories, RV and house sites for dark-sky observing, and imaging facilities that are transforming the area of Animas, New Mexico, into a center of amateur astronomy. Dark-sky observing at the site next week will also fuel new stories about observing over the coming year in Astronomy magazine.
At the show, I’ll report on the whole spectrum of meteorites and meteorite collecting. You’ll see video reports from dealers and what’s hot in the world of meteorite collecting.
That’s if I can make it out of the snowy Midwest on a western-bound aircraft. Stay tuned!