Whirlpool Galaxy: Photographed by UAA astronomer Dr. Travis Rector.On the heels of that amazing Transit of Venus, the American Astronomical Society meets this week in Anchorage. The UAA Physics and Astronomy Department is the local host, and there are some pretty incredible free talks that local residents are invited to. Don't be left in the (star)dust! Find the list below, and ways to follow the conference on social media.
220th American Astronomical Society: The AAS was established in 1899 and is the major organization for professional astronomers in North America. The membership (about 7,000) also includes physicists, mathematicians, geologists, engineers and others with research interest in contemporary astronomy. Check out the free public talks Monday and Tuesday. A free film Wednesday is already full.
Following is a short list of free public events you are invited to attend. And below that, we'll list the ways you can keep up with news from the conference via Twitter feeds and live blogging. Don't be left in the (star)dust!
FREE LOCAL TALKS:
Monday, June 11, 2 pm UAA Campus Bookstore
2011 Nobel Laureate Brian Schmidt on "Surveying my Life: Journeys from Alaska and the Southern Sky"
Monday, June 11, 8 p.m., Dena'ina Center, Ballroom B
Astronomer Jay Pasachoff, 'Transits of Venus and Mercury: Exoplanet Analogs in Our Solar System'
Tuesday, June 12, 8 p.m. Dena'ina Center, Ballroom B
2011 Nobel Laureate Brian Schmidt, 'The Accelerating Universe'
Wednesday, June 13, film 'Space Junk 3D', Regal Tikahtnu Theater, 1102 North Muldoon Road
This free event required reservations and is SOLD OUT.
FOLLOW THE CONFERENCE ON SOCIAL MEDIA:
On Twitter, @astrobites is tweeting the AAS Conference. Astrobites is a daily literature journal summarizing new astrophysical research posted to astroph. Astrobites is written by graduate students for undergraduates
On Wordpress, Galaxy Zoo is live blogging the conference. Galaxy Zoo is a scientific project that has invited members of the public to help classify a million galaxies.
On Twitter, a universal hashtag that pulls up all the busy conference tweeters is @aas220
