Time to travel once again

Image Credit: American Astronomical Society This morning, after being home from holiday travels for a grand total of 38 hours (time enough to wash clothes, pay bills, and watch my Penn State Nittany Lions lose the Rose Bowl), I am leaving for the airport again to travel for another week.

For many astronomers, the first full week of January means one thing: the annual winter meeting of the American Astronomical Society. This meeting is one of the largest regular meetings of astronomers,surpassed only by the International Astronomical Union meetings, held every three years. A few thousand astronomers are descending on Long Beach, California for next week's meeting.

In addition to our normal slew of too-short research talks, this winter's meeting will also feature opening ceremonies for the International Year of Astronomy, special lectures from winners of several astronomical awards, and discussions of the future of astronomy in the US , as it is time for our once-a-decade review of the science and our priorities as a community for the next decade.

In short, it will be a busy week. I'll let you know any interesting results I hear; you are also likely to see many news stories in the next several days on astronomical discoveries.