Anchorage, Alaska, will host next week’s American Astronomical Society meeting — a place Associate Editor Bill Andrews has never attended. // photo by Andrei Taranchenko
Well, sometimes time really flies. It feels like I just
got back from Australia, and now it’s time for me to fly off to Anchorage, Alaska, for the 220th meeting of the American Astronomical Society (AAS). Unlike my
previous two AAS trips, this time I’m going off into lands unknown, but I have every confidence that Alaska will be as hospitable and lovely as I’ve heard.
The conference runs from Sunday evening through Thursday afternoon, but because of the difficulty in getting there (apparently Alaskan airspace can only be breached via redeye flights), I won’t be able to join the fun till Monday. Once I do, though, I’ll be attending talks and seeing posters all about the latest in astrophysics, planetary science, cosmology, and more. Plus, AAS will share the meeting with its Solar Physics Division and newly formed Laboratory Astrophysics Division, so there’ll be plenty to see and hear.
I’ll blog every day’s worth of activities right here, as well as tweet coverage with the hashtag #AAS220, so you can keep up with the latest. (And if you happen to be going too, make sure to find me and say hi!) I’m looking forward to my first visit to the 49th state, not just for all the science, but also to cross it off my list of states I’ve never been. Already, the trip’s a success!