Yesterday, Sunday, September 18, was the last day of the fourth annual Pacific Astronomy and Telescope Show (PATS) in Pasadena, California. One of the conference’s organizers told me that Saturday was the best day (attendance-wise) in the 4-year history of the event.
Since I’ve been here, I’ve seen several products you’ll be reading reviews of in upcoming issues of Astronomy magazine. And I’ve talked to other manufacturers who promised announcements of new gear soon.
Yesterday I gave my talk, “How to Buy Your First Telescope,” to a group of less than 30 people. That number, although disappointing, wasn’t unexpected because the planners scheduled me to speak before noon. Despite the low attendance, we ran out of time at the end because of the number of questions people asked. They were definitely listening.
I’ll be back in the office Tuesday getting ready for my next trip — a star party in Jacksonville, Florida, October 7 to 8, organized by Astronomy Contributing Editor Mike Reynolds. I’ll give a couple of talks and participate in all nighttime public observing sessions. And I’ll be blogging and tweeting. Sounds like fun!
For more on the 2011 PATS show, click here.