2017 Spring Meeting

22nd Annual Spring Meeting of the NCS-AAPT

March 31 - April 1, 2017

Wake Technical Community College - North Campus

Friday Evening Speaker (open to the public)

Solar Eclipses: Natural Wonders of Science

Ian Hewitt, NASA/JPL Solar System Ambassador

Embedded Systems Engineer with diverse experience in creating course materials, teaching / presenting, and supporting technical subjects. Background includes field application engineering in embedded systems, astronomical education, and communicating science to the public. Accomplished leadership and contributions to Standards and PCI Industrial Computer Manufacturers Group (PICMG) committees as well as local museums and research centers.

Solar eclipses are some of the most fabulous events to witness. This talk will cover the basics of solar eclipses and what makes them so interesting visually. It will also cover what you can expect to see and how to safely observe events like the one in August of 2017.

In addition, these events offer unique opportunities for scientists to study the Sun during eclipses.

Saturday Invited Speaker - The Young Solar Analogs Project,

Richard Gray, professor of Astronomy at Appalachian State University

Dr. Gray is well known for his studies of nearby stars, and for his stellar spectral synthesis code SPECTRUM. He is also lead author of the book "Stellar Spectral Classification", published by Princeton University Press in 2009. Currently, he is leading the Young Solar Analogs project which studies the activity levels (sunspot cycles, flares, etc.) in solar-type stars with ages between 300 million and 1.5 billion years.member of the American Astronomical Society, the International Astronomical Union, and is a Fellow of the Royal Astronomical Society.

The abstract submission deadline is March 20, 2017.

Courtyard Raleigh North/Triangle Town Center for $111.00 per night (Last day to book: 3/20/17)

Contact Denise Wetli (919-866-5975) if you have questions about the meeting.