Summary of the January 2023 American Astronomical Society Meeting

Dr. Regina Jorgenson • Jan 25, 2023

By: Dr. Regina Jorgenson, MMA Director of Astronomy


Earlier this month, MMA Astronomy interns, post-baccalaureate research fellows, Director of Astronomy, Dr. Regina Jorgenson, Executive Director, Joanna Roche, and Director of Science and Programming, Jónelle Gurley, traveled to Seattle, WA for the ‘Superbowl’ of the astronomy world, the American Astronomical Society (AAS) meeting. 


The AAS meeting is the largest annual gathering of professional astronomers, this year seeing over 3,000 astronomers come together to share news of their latest and greatest research results. Exciting new results were presented in all fields of astronomy, but the highlight of this meeting were the many amazing new results coming from NASA’s new Great Observatory, the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST), launched in December 2021. In addition to detecting and attempting to measure the atmosphere of the first Earth-like exoplanet, JWST is peering back into the early Universe farther than we’ve ever seen, giving us a glimpse at early star and galaxy formation. For a more detailed summary of the JWST results, listen to Dr. Jorgenson’s Looking Skyward interview here.


All six of the MMA’s summer 2022 National Science Foundation Research Experience for Undergraduates (NSF-REU) interns attended the meeting and presented posters describing their summer research. Presentation results spanned a broad range, from understanding how star spots can affect the overall brightness of a star, to how a nova explosion expands into its surroundings, to a new method for finding supermassive black holes getting kicked out of their galaxies. Other work attempted to use X-rays to understand the properties of interstellar dust, image some of the first galaxies forming in the early Universe, and use cosmological simulations to help us understand the largest structures in the universe, galaxy clusters. During their poster presentations, the NSF-REU interns spoke with top researchers in the field, allowing them to make scientific connections and act as ambassadors for all of the amazing research being done at the MMA. 


The annual MMA Alumni and Friends Breakfast was a highlight of the week, bringing together approximately 30 REU alumni, mentors, and friends. Connections were forged and stories were shared of long-ago summers spent studying the universe under the dark skies of Nantucket Island. 


MMA REU interns in attendance include: 

Kate Shavelle, MMA Astronomy intern and Columbia University student

Anavi Uppal, MMA Astronomy intern and Yale University student

Devisree Tallapaneni, MMA Astronomy intern and Cornell student

Will Jarvis, MMA Astronomy intern University of Wisconsin - Madison student

Chris Chang, MMA Astronomy intern and Willamette University student

Danya Alboslani, MMA Astronomy intern and University of Connecticut student

Recent Posts

Is That A Wrap?

22 Apr, 2024
Yes. Well, almost. After about a month of working – and some living (staff and or neighbors) – on Vestal Street with all the sewer and water replacement work, the paving happened today (April 17, 2024). This is the first “layer” – a three-inch binder coat. In the fall, once time has passed, they will return for the final one inch of the finish layer. Some of the other things along Vestal Street will also be repaired and updated between now and the final coat – and a bit after that. But we are very happy, after all these years to have a modern system of piping – and all new drainage we never had before! While the curator in me loved the old clay pipes, they were riddled with roots from the trees, holes, and in some places, collapsed, and the twelve inches of asphalt had to go. Vestal Street was only paved in about 1946/1948 – and has not been paved in maybe twenty years so that is a lot of asphalt in about fifty years! And with climate change and the increase in how much rain we get in these heavy rain events, all that water rushed down Vestal Street with nowhere to go – except our cellars. I am sure the neighbors are happy too! A thank you to the Town of Nantucket’s Sewer Department, especially David Gray (who may regret giving me his cellphone number forever), N&M Excavating and Utilities (Dean, we appreciate you being so nice when we had too many questions), Victor-Brandon Corp for paving, and numerous others. We are looking forward to great flushing, powerful hose lines, and rainwater being whisked away via the new, never-before-had storm drains! JNLF And to all the N&M workers who wondered why I was constantly looking down as I walked along Vestal Street, you should see the trove of porcelain shards, glass, old nails, a bottle neck, 19 th century spoon, and even possibly a Wampanoag stone tool I found!

Vestal Street Updates

By Jascin N. Leonardo Finger • 08 Apr, 2024
Vestal Street has seen a bevy of activity of late. In January, we began the renovation of the Maria Mitchell Vestal Street Observatory’s (MMO) Seminar Room addition – as it has been referred to since it was built in 1987. When it was created, the point was for it to serve as meeting, lecture, work space on three floors for the Astronomy Department – in particular the National Science Foundation Research Experiences for Undergraduate (NSF REU) interns we have each summer, visiting astronomers, and the astronomy staff. Believe it or not, it was the first time the Observatory had a bathroom! And, it connected to what we refer to as the Astronomer’s Cottage (ca. 1830 and purchased for the MMA in 1922) so that staff could move between the house and the Observatory without going outside – convenient! With a gift from board member and Mitchell family descendant, Richard Wolfe, we have been able to renovate this space, bringing it up to date and adding HVAC, an accessible bathroom and kitchenette, three office spaces, a seminar/meeting area, and space for intern workspaces. Lighting and interiors are being improved as this is written and we hope to have the space ready by June 1, 2024. A special thank you goes to John Wise, another Board member, who has been working with the MMA to make sure this renovation happens in a short timeframe. The work here dovetails nicely with the conservation of the historic observatory to which the Seminar Room is connected. The historic MMO, built in 1908 with a 1922 addition, has seen exterior conservation work over the last several years with support from the Community Preservation Act and the M. S. Worthington Foundation. This fall, we will move inside with more grant funding which will allow us to conserve the historic interiors and install a proper HVAC system to protect the historic fabric and historic astronomical equipment and papers. We will restore the floor in the Astronomical Study from 1922 – it’s hidden under wall-to-wall carpet and 1950s tile but it’s still there – and allow us to conserved the historic plaster and all of the original varnished woodwork. Stay tuned on this project. JNLF

Keep Calm and Bird On: April 2024

01 Apr, 2024
“If you don’t look, you don’t see. You have to go and look.” -Edith Andrews
Show More
Share by: