We are very happy to invite our members, observers, and friends to the island of Nantucket, MA for the 97th Annual Meeting of the AAVSO. The meeting will take place at the Nantucket Inn, October 16-19, 2008. The AAVSO annual meeting gives both newcomers and longtime attendees the opportunity to share ideas, experiences, and tips on variable star observing. Attending the AAVSO annual meeting is an excellent way to stay informed about the many activities and accomplishments of the Association, so whether you have attended dozens of AAVSO meetings or are a first-time attendee, we hope to see you at the Annual Meeting.

Join us on the beautiful island of Nantucket to help the Maria Mitchell Observatory celebrate its 100th Anniversary!

Maria Mitchell Association

Meeting Information

Data Mining Workshop:
From Wikipedia: "Data mining is the process of sorting through large amounts of data and picking out relevant information. (This process) is increasingly being used in the sciences to extract information from the enormous data sets generated by modern experimental and observational methods." Astronomy is certainly among those sciences with masses of virtually untapped data. Experts will lead a Friday morning workshop teaching you how to best tackle those large astronomical datasets and get results.

Special Session on MMO and its History:
2008 marks the 100th Anniversary of the Maria Mitchell Observatory (MMO). In honor of this memorable occasion we will hold a special session Friday afternoon on the MMO and its 100 year history. There will be a lineup of speakers including MMO alumni, staff and historians.

MMO Open House/Dinner and Star Party:
Friday evening Maria Mitchell Observatory will open its doors to us as we celebrate the 100th anniversary of MMO. Transportation will be provided from the Nantucket Inn. The evening will start with an informal buffet dinner at the main Maria Mitchell campus. Much of the main campus (Mitchell House, Library, Natural Science Museum, new 17 inch telescope, etc.) will be open for tours with staff on hand to answer questions. Later in the evening we will move to Loines Observatory for a tour and star party. Loines is a ten minute walk from the main campus -- shuttling will be available in case of rain or for those who feel that they can not make the walk.

Membership Meeting:
All attendees are invited to this gathering, which will be held Saturday morning, October 18th. The purpose of this meeting is to inform attendees of the activities of the Association, and will include reports from the Secretary, Treasurer, Committee Chairs, and the Director. We will also announce ballot results during this meeting.

Scientific Paper Session:
Members and friends are invited to present papers on variable stars and related topics. Papers will be presented Saturday afternoon, October 18th. Timeslots will range from 10 to 20 minutes. Those planning to present papers at this meeting should complete the online abstract form or call the AAVSO for a paper form to be submitted no later than October 3rd, 2008. We also encourage authors to submit poster papers.

Annual Banquet, Award Presentation, and Keynote Speaker:
The Annual Banquet will be held at the Nantucket Inn on the evening of Saturday, October 18th. The banquet will be preceded by a cash bar and followed by an award presentation. The evening will culminate in a presentation focusing on the collaboration between amateurs and professionals in the hunt for transiting exoplanets by our keynote speaker and the new Editor of Sky and Telescope magazine, Bob Naeye.

Tour of Nantucket:
Sunday morning attendees have the option of signing up for an hour and a half bus tour of the beautiful island of Nantucket. The tour will leave from the Nantucket Inn at 9:30 am.

Possible Spouse Birding Tour:
We would like to arrange a birding tour of Nantucket on Saturday for interested spouses. Guests would travel the island's diverse habitats with expert ornithologist, Dr. Bob Kennedy to discover first hand the variety of birds that call the island of Nantucket home. We must reach a minimum registration to hold this tour. If interested, please indicate so on the registration form and we will contact you with further details.