Blogtrek

A Trip to Nashville

I have not been blogging for a while because I have been on the road - first to Charlotte, and now to Nashville. Next week it will be Blacksburg, Virginia. I attended the Astronomical League Convention last week, giving me a big dose of astronomy and a little bit about Nashville. The main points I got out of the convention were that charged coupled device (CCD) astronomy is revolutionizing amateur astronomy, allowing amateur results as good at times as the professionals', light pollution, threatening our view of the night sky for all, and outreach - ensuring that astronomy education reaches our children. Some of the highlights included a trip to the local observatory and a demonstration in which someone made a comet in our meeting room, using dirt, water, and liquid nitrogen.