AAS Division on Dynamical Astronomy Meets in Austin April 11-14

March 29, 2011

Astronomers from around the country and the world are convening in Austin April 11-14 for the American Astronomical Society’s Division on Dynamical Astronomy meeting. The meeting will be held at the Sheraton Austin Hotel at the Capitol. Free registration is available
for journalists. Interested journalists should contact Rebecca Johnson at
rjohnson@astro.as.utexas.edu or 512-475-6763.

Highlights of the meeting include sessions on the dynamics of our solar system (planets, Kuiper Belt, asteroid threats to Earth, evolution of moons and rings), presentations on planet formation and understanding multi-planet systems, and the formation of black holes and spiral features in galaxies. Several invited talks are scheduled on a wide array of topics, including the GRACE space mission, planet formation, planetary rings, cosmology, and celestial mechanics.

See the end of this release for highlighted sessions and invited talks, presenter names, and affiliations. A complete schedule, with access to abstracts, is available.

An evening of free, family-friendly astronomy events will be held on April 11 at the Bob Bullock Texas State History Museum. From 7-8 p.m., the Austin Planetarium will conduct shows in its mobile planetarium. At 8 p.m., University of Texas at Austin astronomy professor Jenny Greene will speak on “Black Holes: Tiny but Powerful” in the Spirit Theater. Additionally, astronomers will be on hand from 7 to 9 p.m. to answer questions at an “Ask the Astronomer” booth.

More information on these public events is available from the museum.