This winter break has been a busy one and I have traveled uncountable miles from New York to Michigan, back to New York, and now to Texas. It's time again for the American Astronomical Society (AAS) conference, and this year we're in Austin, TX. The president's address this morning indicated (if memory serves me) that there are some 2500 astronomers in attendance this year. Lots of interesting things on the docket this year, including updates about extrasolar planets, a screening of the "Saving Hubble" film, reports from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey about the current view of the Milky Way from the SDSS-III survey, and more. You can keep up with blog and Twitter posts from the folks at www.astrobetter.com and astrobites.com throughout the week. You should also keep an eye on the news headlines (particularly www.space.com) as some of the top stories will come out in press releases. Here is one example about "sniffing" alien planet atmospheres. If I get a chance to take some pictures, I'll post one or two here.
These conferences are a great opportunity for professional astronomers to network with each other, report on research results, and collaborate on new projects. For postdocs and grad students, this is where you give a talk or present a poster in the hopes of getting hired for a job. Undergrads can get valuable experience presenting
results or simply learning about the research process. I'm looking forward to meeting new colleagues and coming home with new research ideas.
