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General Meeting – March 2018
March 2, 2018 @ 6:30 pm - 9:00 pm
6:30 pm – Introductory Presentation
Title: Astronomy Services Revitalization Plan
Presenter: TAAA’s Astronomy Services Redesign Team
The Astronomy Services (a.k.a. Paid Star Party) Program is critical to the on-going health and welfare of the Tucson Amateur Astronomy Association. Learn about the redesign of the program, from a single Coordinator to a Team approach and how you can help take this program into the future while securing the financial wellbeing of TAAA!
7:30 pm – Main Presentation
Title: Exoplanet Atmospheres on the Cutting Edge of Astronomy
Presenter: Joshua Lothringer, PHD Candidate at The University of Arizona’s Lunar and Planetary Lab. Josh received his BA in Astrophysics at the University of Colorado, where he worked at the Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics (LASP) on space missions including MAVEN and Kepler.
The discovery and characterization of exoplanets has become one of the fastest growing fields in astronomy. With thousands of planets discovered and dozens beginning to be spectroscopically characterized, we are starting to realize what makes our solar system special. Joshua will present his efforts to understand the atmospheres of exoplanets through observations with the Hubble Space Telescope of a Neptune-sized exoplanet, one of the smallest planets yet characterized. He will describe what his computer modeling has uncovered about the atmospheres of the hottest known exoplanets. And he will share how he has turned his passion for exoplanets into art.