In 2001, I was onboard a bus headed to Mount Wilson Observatory, home to the historic 100′ inch telescope to that Edwin Hubble used to discover the expansion of the universe, publishing his results in 1929. I was with a group of reporters and science communicator attending the American Astronomical Society meeting. The National Science Foundation (remember them?) sponsored a tour to the observatory and I wasn’t about to miss it!
The event was amazing and memorable! We got to look through the actual eyepiece (something astronomers actually never do… they take spectra). Though the object (a binary star system) looked more like a pair of sparklers, I could say that my eye actually caught photons with the 100″! Amazing…
While there, I met a colleague who would eventually become a friend and mentor, Inge Heyer.* At the time she was with Hubble. As a “side hustle,” Inge also helped organize the science track for Shore Leave! After several conversations and glasses of wine, I was invited to attend to talk about radio astronomy.
I was not prepared for the depth of knowledge and enthusiasm from the assembled Trek fans. The first question after my talk was: “Do you use fast Fourier transforms for image synthesis?” My answer: “No, they multiply signals from two antennas to get a baseline. Image synthesis requires integration of a triple integral, which is why I’m the science writer and not the astronomer.”
Fast forward 25 years, and I’ll be back again! This time talking about Artemis, Apollo, and human spaceflight! I’ll also have a booth to talk about First Light Con!
If you are in Lancaster, Pa., the weekend after the 4th of July, join us!