One of my favorite events all year is Dragon*Con, a very large science fiction and fantasy convention in Atlanta, held over the Labor Day weekend. I get to talk, schmooz, hang with friends, and basically let my dork flag fly high.
And one of my favorite parts of D*C is the annual Atlanta Star Party, held to raise money for various worthy causes. This year it’s on Thursday, Aug. 29, at 7 p.m., and will be to raise funds for CosmoQuest, a great group that encourages people to learn about space and astronomy.* I’m on the advisory team for CosmoQuest, and I’m on it because I think what they’re doing is important.
I’ll be speaking at the Star Party, along with Derek Demeter and Drs. Pamela Gay and Nicole Gugliucci. Afterward there will be telescopes, so we can look at Saturn and a few other celestial treats.
We also do this every year in honor and memory of our dear friend Jeff Medkeff. He was an astronomer and discoverer of many asteroids—he named one after me, years ago—and he was a tireless educator and promoter of public outreach for astronomy. He died of liver cancer in 2008, and it was shortly thereafter that Maria Walters, aka MasalaSkeptic, put together the first Star Party in Jeff’s name. What Maria has done here is nothing short of amazing, and this will be the fifth Star Party she’s organized.
It’s always a lot of fun, and if you’re in Atlanta or going to Dragon*Con, you should come!
Photo by Jeff Medkeff
Correction, July 8, 2013: This post originally misstated the day of the week of the Atlanta Star Party.
