|
NSF PA/M 01-01 - January 2, 2001
Adaptive Optics Tops NSF "Highlights" at American
Astronomical Society Meeting
Learn about the astronomy developments supported
by the National Science Foundation (NSF) at the American
Astronomical Society meeting at the Town & Country
Resort and Conference Center in San Diego, Calif.,
January 7-11, 2001. For more information, contact
Amber Jones at (703) 292-8070/aljones@nsf.gov.
The science content of these items is embargoed
until the time of presentation.
SCIENCE WITH ADAPTIVE OPTICS
Seminar for science writers.............Mon.,
Jan. 8, 3:00-4:30 p.m., Royal Palm 1&2
Special session.................................64,
Tues., Jan. 9, 1:30-3:00 p.m., San Diego
Poster session..................................52,
Tues., Jan. 9, Exhibit Hall
NSF hosts a seminar for science writers on how adaptive
optics works in ground-based telescopes; stories to
watch for; and where to find contacts and images.
The panelists are Claire Max, Center for Adaptive
Optics and Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory;
Matt Mountain, Gemini Observatory; Laird Close, University
of Arizona; and Steve Keil, National Solar Observatory.
VLA-VLBA LINK REVEALS DISK AROUND MASSIVE
PROTOSTAR
Press conference..................Mon.,
Jan. 8, 9:30 a.m., Royal Palm 1&2
Poster session......................53.04,
Tues., Jan 9, Exhibit Hall
In a fiber-optics connection dubbed the
"Pietown Link," the linking of the Very
Large Array with one of the Very Long
Baseline Array antennas has led to the
discovery of a solarsystem-sized disk
around a massive protostar--a star still
in formation. The panelists are Debra
Shepherd and Mark Claussen, National Radio
Astronomy Observatory.
|
|
NOAO DEEP WIDE-FIELD SURVEY
Exhibit..................................Booth
428, NOAO, All Week, Exhibit Hall
Poster session........................77,
Wed., Jan. 10, Exhibit Hall
An extraordinary image of the night sky shows 300,000
faint galaxies over an area 900 times larger than
the "Hubble Deep Field." These are the first observations
by the Deep Wide-Field Survey of the National Optical
Astronomy Observatory (NOAO), including Buell Jannuzi,
Arjun Dey, other NOAO team members and students from
NSF's Research Experience for Undergraduates program.
THE LARGEST STRUCTURE IN THE EARLY UNIVERSE
Press conference.................Mon.,
Jan. 8, 12:00 noon, Royal Palm 1&2
Poster session......................3.03,
Mon., Jan. 9, Exhibit Hall
Gerard Williger, NOAO/Goddard Space Flight Center,
used the 4meter telescope at NSF's Cerro Tololo InterAmerican
Observatory to examine the formation of structure
in the early universe.
VIRTUAL TOUR OF GEMINI NORTH TELESCOPE
Exhibit...............................Booth
426, Gemini Observatory, All Week, Exhibit Hall
Explore the inner workings of Gemini Observatory,
climb on Gemini North's 8-meter mirror,
and sit at Gemini's computer console-virtually.
Peter Michaud, Gemini public information
officer, will exhibit a prototype of a
virtual tour of the telescope being produced
with support from NSF. Educators across
the country are invited to try the tour
and participate in evaluating Gemini's
virtual materials as they are developed.
|
|
EARLY SCIENCE FROM THE SLOAN DIGITAL SKY SURVEY
Special session..................27,
Mon., Jan. 8, 1:30-3:00pm, San Diego
Poster session....................13,
Mon., Jan. 8, Exhibit Hall
The Sloan Digital Sky Survey, partially supported
by NSF, is creating a three-dimensional map of the
universe 100 times larger than any previous survey.
STAR STREAMS IN THE MILKY WAY: FRAGMENTS OF ITS
HISTORY
Invited session..................69,
Tues., Jan. 9, 5-6 p.m., Golden Ballroom
Heather Morrison, Case Western Reserve University,
discusses the formation of the galaxy's halo.
UNVEILING A BLACK HOLE AT THE CENTER OF THE MILKY
WAY
Second Century Lecture..................Tues.,
Jan. 9, 7:00 p.m., Reuben H. Fleet Science Center
Andrea Ghez, University of California at Los Angeles,
discusses scientific observations that confirm the
existence of a massive black hole at the center of
our galaxy.
SURPRISING SOURCE OF LITHIUM
Poster session..................41.19,
Tues., Jan. 9, Exhibit Hall
Catherine Pilachowski of NOAO and others surveyed
globular star clusters with the Kitt Peak WIYN Observatory
and found an unexpected source of lithium.
EINSTEIN'S BIGGEST BLUNDER? THE ACCELERATING UNIVERSE
Invited session..................71,
Wed., Jan. 10, 8:30-9:20 a.m., Golden Ballroom
Alex Filippenko, University of California at Berkeley,
discusses this major revolution in cosmology.
ONLINE TELESCOPES, JAVALABS, AND OTHER INNOVATIONS
IN TEACHING ASTRONOMY
Oral session......................120,
Thurs., Jan. 11,10:30 a.m.-12:00 noon, Pacific One
The ever-increasing popularity of astronomy is leading
several NSF-supported researchers to develop innovative
astronomy teaching tools.
|
|