This weekend, 270 avid astroimagers from around the world are converging in San Jose, California, for the 2008 Advanced Imaging Conference (AIC). And guess what? I’ll be there, too. AIC’s board of directors invited me to speak at the conference because of the buzz Astronomy generates among astroimagers. Our magazine represents the largest audience available to photographers who target celestial objects. What’s more, many comments from imagers tell...

Interested in gamma-ray bursts (GRBs)? Well, you’re definitely not alone. GRB astronomers from more than 25 countries will be in Huntsville, Alabama, this coming Monday through Thursday (October 20 to 23) for the Sixth Huntsville Gamma-Ray Burst Symposium . Special emphasis will be on early results from the Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope, which launched June 11, 2008. The symposium will also cover Swift observations , GRB cosmology, magnetars, and...

In this exclusive to Astronomy.com, science writer Lauren Cahoon shares the sights and sounds of the 2008 Division for Planetary Science meeting. Take it away, Lauren: It’s been an eventful 5 days at the 40th Division for Planetary Sciences meeting, with roughly 800 astronomers from all over the world convening in the small town of Ithaca, New York. While there have been hundreds of intriguing talks, I’ve been forced to select a sample that looked...

In my blog on June 18, planetary scientist Alan Stern commented on the recent reclassification of Pluto and other outer solar system bodies as “plutoids” instead of planets. We’ve been talking again, this time in response to a conference, "Great Planet Debate: Science as a Process," at the Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory in Baltimore August 12. It was a chance for scientists to discuss the issues underlying what is being called...

I spent Day 2 at the Pacific Astronomy and Telescope Show (PATS) mostly talking. I talked to manufacturers about new products, I talked to amateur astronomers about our magazine , I chatted with astroimagers about their photography, and I interacted with some of the event's keynote speakers. Everyone thought Day 1 of PATS was a success. About 800 paid admission tickets sold, and people milled about through the whole day. Jen Winter, president...

Today, I'm at the Pacific Astronomy and Telescope Show (PATS). Because this is the first time PATS has occurred, I really didn't know what to expect. Wow! There are a lot more dealers here than I thought would attend. Big ones like Celestron, Meade, Orion, Santa Barbara Instrument Group, Tele Vue, and Vixen. Small ones like, well, in many cases I hadn't heard of them. It's nice to attend a show and be surprised. I've already seen...

This weekend, I’ll attend the Pacific Astronomy and Telescope Show (PATS) in Pasadena, California. This promises to be a biggie, and I’m looking forward to seeing the latest telescopes, eyepieces, and accessories. Many of Astronomy magazine’s contributors also will be there, and I’m looking forward to seeing them all. Until now, most large equipment shows — like the NorthEast Astronomy Forum (NEAF) — have occurred on the East Coast. One exception...

Yesterday, I participated in a press teleconference announcing new observations and research on the brightest bang ever seen in the sky. Astronomers on Earth saw it March 19, 2008, but it actually happened 7.5 billion years ago when a massive star collapsed and formed a black hole, producing an event astronomers call a gamma-ray burst. For about 40 seconds, its optical flash was visible to the naked eye. You’ll see lots of coverage of this in the...

An interesting pamphlet came across my desk about Spacefest 2009 , and I thought some of you might want to check it out. After a successful debut in 2007, the sponsor of Spacefest, space memorabilia source Novaspace , has put together a sequel. The 2009 event will take place February 19-22 at the Town & Country Resort and Convention Center in San Diego. The gathering will have an autograph show featuring pioneering astronauts such as Moonwalkers...

Astrodon Filters supplies precision imaging filters to astrophotographers worldwide. Here, founder Don Goldman explains a new product to a NEAF attendee. Michael E. Bakich Today is Saturday, the first day of the 2008 Northeast Astronomy Forum (NEAF). I’ve been looking forward to seeing the many manufacturers registered for this year’s NEAF. Here, at the largest annual astronomy expo, you can expect some surprises, and this year was no exception. The...