Epsilon Aurigae Workshp LIVE

Today we are at the Adler planetarium in Chicago, attending the Epsilon Aurigae/Citizen Sky workshop.

You can follow my Tweets on this workshop today at Simostronomy on Twitter.

The official welcome was handles by Dr. Arne Henden, Director of the AAVSO. Jennifer Borland explained how participants and their EPO activities will be evaluated. Evaluation is always an important part of the grant process. Since this project is funded by the National Science Foundation, everyone participating will be required to report their successes and results so that the impact of this project on science and education can be effectively evaluated.

Rebecca Turner (AAVSO) is now giving an overview of the Citizen Sky project.

Citizen Sky is the largest citizen science project ever attempted. 2009 happens to be the International Year of Astronomy, and it also happens to be the year that the mysterious star epsilon Aurigae will go into eclipse. An event that only happens every 27.1 years. There is a lot to learn about this mysterious star. For more information on epsilon Aurigae see http://www.citizensky.org/content/star-our-project.

Citizen scientists will be recruited and trained to observe, collect and analyze data, and ultimately publish their results as we try to understand this enigmatic object.
I'll report back ater some of the morning sessions have concluded.

No comments: