The semester is over.
My grades are posted.
My students have received their grades.
I am 3 forms (paperwork will kill me) from starting my summer.
And I plan to play a bit, write a lot, travel too much, and try and remember how to jump horses over itty bitty fences designed to restrain dachunds.
w00t

If all goes well, next week a team of well trained astronauts will be working to refurbish the first of the Great Observatories. Astronomers all across the world will be holding their breath in anticipation of the word that all is A-OK and a first glimpse of the first downloaded images. In Tuscaloosa, AL, a [...]

So, I’m trying really hard to put together a list of twitter users who talk about astronomy on a regular basis. I’m doing this as part of a general report on New Media for the Decadal Survey. This is a list of everyone from folks who promote their local club, to people who actively share [...]

I’m currently in Kansas City attending the MARAC at the Linda Hall Library enjoying talks on astronomy given by astronomers from all around the area. Last year I spoke in St Charles, MO at the exact same meeting, but last year I discussed IYA. This year I’ll be talking about both what’s it like to [...]

Well, I’m back from LPSC and have jumped straight from one kind of busy to a new kind of crazy.
As some of you may know, Nick Rattenbury is leaving the Jodcast and the rest of the team (including the original Astronomy Blog author Stuart Lowe) are stupidly busy, soooooo Fraser Cain and I decided to [...]

I have decided they purposely placed all the pretty talks at the end of the data just to keep me in my chair. JAXA is currently showing off all the pretty pictures from KAGUYA and it is brain candy. Really. Go see here and here.
As I watch, I’m also watching the audience and taking in [...]

Here is where I admit I have never taken Geology or Organic Chemistry. This is my third time coming to LPSC and each time I come I learn there are more minerals yet to learn.
Today I spent my morning sitting in on sessions involving the new data coming down from the Lunar Missions Kaguya, Chang’e-1 [...]

One of the either high points or low points (emotionally) of every LPSC is the NASA meeting. This year I have some sense that this will be a good experience for all. We have a new administration, we have new NASA HQ staff, and we know a new NASA director is on the way. Life [...]

Carol Stoker and Suzanne Young just presented a pair of presentation on the habitability of Mars. Bottomline: The Mars Phoenix Landing Site is capable of supporting life today.
The also calculated a habitability index for the various sites landers have explored on Mars. If a site has a probability of supporting life greater than 50%, [...]