240th meeting
Press Information
8 June 2022 (Materials updated 16 June 2022)
Contact:
Dr. Susanna Kohler
AAS Press Officer
+1 202-328-2010 x127
More than 2,000 astronomers, educators, students, and journalists will gather in Pasadena, California, from 12 to 16 June 2022 for the 240th meeting of the American Astronomical Society (AAS). This joint conference with the AAS Historical Astronomy Division (HAD), the High Energy Astrophysics Division (HEAD), and the Laboratory Astrophysics Division (LAD) is shaping up to be one of the biggest summer meetings in the Society’s history. Of special interest to reporters and editors, it will feature seven press briefings on the latest discoveries in astronomy, planetary sciences, space sciences, and more. Meeting hashtag: #aas240.
The venue for this summer's AAS meeting is the Pasadena Convention Center, 300 E Green St, Pasadena, CA 91101. The AAS offers complimentary press registration for the meeting to bona fide working journalists and public-information officers (PIOs), as explained below.
Meeting links:
Important Preliminaries
All attendees at the meeting — including press registrants — are expected to follow our Guide to AAS Meeting Etiquette, Anti-Harassment Policy for AAS & Division Meetings & Activities, and Code of Ethics. Your participation in the meeting is taken to signify your acknowledgment that you have read these guidelines/policies and your agreement to adhere to them. Accordingly, please read them before you come to Pasadena and abide by them once you arrive.
AAS 240 Virtual Access
All in-person and virtual attendees will have access to the online meeting platform, vFairs, in both desktop and app form. In addition, all attendees will be able to join the AAS 240 Slack community, which will include a channel for press communications. Instructions for accessing these platforms will be sent to registrants via email before the meeting.
Press Registration & Badge Pick-up
The AAS offers complimentary press registration to bona fide working journalists and PIOs, as described on our press credentials page.
Advance press registration is closed; see our list of current press registrants.
For on-site, in-person press registration for reporters and PIOs, please contact AAS Press Officer Susanna Kohler for instructions. Virtual registration is no longer possible, but non-registrants can view the livestreamed press conferences on the AAS Press Office YouTube channel.
Press Facilities
The AAS will operate a press office in Room 208, Upper Level Conference Room, Pasadena Convention Center, with working space, printer/photocopier, power strips, and internet connectivity for reporters and PIOs. Thanks to the Universities Space Research Association (USRA) for generously sponsoring the press office with refreshments for on-site press registrants!
Press office staff:
- Susanna Kohler, AAS Press Officer, +1 202-328-2010 x127
- Kerry Hensley, AAS Deputy Press Officer, +1 202-328-2010 x138
- Haley Wahl, AAS Media Fellow, +1 202-328-2010 x139
Former AAS Press Officer Rick Fienberg and Astrobites Media Intern Briley Lewis will also assist in the press office.
There will be a dedicated press interview room in Room 215, Upper Level Conference Room, Pasadena Convention Center. Use the online signup sheet to reserve this room for use for press interviews at specific dates and times.
Press Conference Schedule, Topics & Speakers
News briefings will be held each morning and afternoon, Monday, 13 June, through Thursday morning, 16 June, downstairs from the press office in Room 107, Lower Level Conference Room, Pasadena Convention Center. The press conference room will be equipped with a sound system, mult-box, and internet connectivity. Note that morning and afternoon briefings occur in parallel with morning and afternoon oral science sessions.
Following is the press-conference program, which remains subject to change (all times are PDT = UTC − 7 hours):
- Monday, 13 June, 10:15 am & 2:15 pm
- Tuesday, 14 June, 10:15 am & 2:15 pm
- Wednesday, 15 June, 10:15 am & 2:15 pm
- Thursday, 16 June, 10:15 am
Briefing audio, slides, and video will be available via livestream to the virtual vFairs platform, where registered journalists will be able to ask questions of the presenters via text chat with an on-site press officer. The briefings will also be livestreamed to the AAS Press Office YouTube channel, where attendees will be able to view the stream but not ask questions. (See below.)
In [square brackets] under the speakers’ names are the abstract or session numbers on which their presentations are based. Next to the session number, the designation IP or V indicates whether the speaker will be presenting their press briefing in person or virtually, respectively.
All findings are embargoed until the time of presentation at the meeting. “Time of presentation” means the start time of the oral or poster session in which the paper will be given, or the start time of the corresponding press conference (if any), whichever comes first. See the complete AAS embargo policy for more information.
Note: All new discoveries are subject to confirmation by independent teams of scientists. Inclusion here does not imply endorsement by the American Astronomical Society. The AAS does not endorse individual scientific results.
Monday, 13 June 2022, 10:15 am PDT
Deciphering Dust, Analyzing Andromeda & Evolving/Ending Exoplanets (Briefing video)
Spontaneous Reheating during Crystallization of Stardust: Resolution of an Interstellar Medium Paradox
Angela Speck (University of Texas, San Antonio)
[147.04] | IP | Press Release
Polarization and Dust Properties of the Supernova Remnant Cassiopeia A
Jeonghee Rho (SETI Institute)
[133.02] | IP | SETI Institute Press Release | USRA Press Release
Andromeda as a Steppingstone to the Local Volume: Chemodynamics of Extragalactic Tidal Shells
Ivanna Escala (Carnegie Observatories)
[123.08] | IP | Press Release
Unraveling Exoplanet Formation and Evolution with Precise Ages
Jacob Hamer (The Johns Hopkins University)
[132.03D] | V | Press Release
The Physics of Planetary Engulfment
Ricardo Yarza (University of California, Santa Cruz)
[132.05] | V | Press Release
Monday, 13 June 2022, 2:15 pm PDT
Magnetic Fields & Galaxies (Briefing video)
Large- and Small-Scale Magnetic Fields in the Cygnus-X Star-Forming Region
Dan Clemens (Boston University)
[105.01] | IP | Boston U. Press Release | USRA Press Release
The Twisted Magnetic Field in a Protobinary System
Erin Cox (Northwestern University)
[237.06] | IP | Press Release
What Is the Role of the Environment in Bending the Jets of Active Galactic Nuclei?
Melissa Morris (University of Wisconsin-Madison)
[101.24] | IP | Press Release
Tuesday, 14 June 2022, 10:15 am PDT
Nearby Disks, Faraway Galaxies & A Record-Breaking Star (Briefing video)
Disks in Nearby Young Stellar Associations Found Via Citizen Science and Virtual Reality
Marc Kuchner (NASA)
[140.02] | IP | Press Release
A New ALMA View of the HD 53143 Debris Disk
Meredith MacGregor (University of Colorado Boulder)
[421.05] | IP | NRAO Press Release | CU Boulder Press Release
Beyond Models: A Direct Measurement of Galaxy Formation at z < 6
Chris Conselice (University of Manchester)
[310.05] | IP | Press Release
The Largest Ultraviolet Survey of Distant Galaxies by the Hubble Space Telescope
Xin Wang (California Institute of Technology / Infrared Processing and Analysis Center (IPAC))
[224.06] | IP | Press Release
The Spectroscopic Evolution of V1674 Hercules: The Fastest Nova Ever
Sumner Starrfield (Arizona State University)
[346.04] | IP | Press Release
Tuesday, 14 June 2022, 2:15 pm PDT
Galactic Neighbors & Insights from ALMA (Briefing video)
An Extragalactic Fossil Record: M94’s Merger History through Its Stellar Halo
Katya Gozman (University of Michigan)
[241.45] | IP | Press Release
Building Out the Census of Faint and Ultra-Faint Satellites of Milky Way-Mass Galaxies: New Satellites-of-Satellites in the M81 Group
Eric Bell (University of Michigan)
[136.04] | IP | Press Release
Are Planes of Satellite Galaxies as Elusive in Simulations as Previously Thought?
Janvi Madhani and Charlotte Welker (The Johns Hopkins University)
[209.08] | IP | Press Release
ALMA Reveals Extended Cool Gas and Hot Ionized Outflows in a Distant Star-Forming Galaxy
Hollis Akins (Grinnell College)
[241.23] | IP | Press Release
ALMA Reveals the Molecular Outflows in the Ejecta of VY Canis Majoris
Ambesh Singh (University of Arizona)
[111.05] | V | Press Release
Wednesday, 15 June 2022, 10:15 am PDT
Stars, Their Environments & Their Planets (Briefing video)
Young, Blue, and Isolated Stellar Systems in the Virgo Cluster
Michael Jones (University of Arizona)
V | Press Release
A Survey of Pre-Main-Sequence Stars and Massive T Tauri Protoplanetary Disks with the Gemini Planet Imager
Evan Rich (University of Michigan)
[338.07] | V | U. Michigan Press Release | NOIRLab Press Release
ALMA Unravels a Star Formation Standoff in the Tarantula's Gaseous Web
Tony Wong (University of Illinois Urbana–Champaign)
[333.04] | IP | NRAO Press Release | ESO Press Release
Far-Ultraviolet Flares on AU Mic and the Implications for Its Planets
Adina Feinstein (University of Chicago)
[418.06] | IP
The HD 260655 System: Two Rocky Worlds Transiting a Bright M Dwarf at Just 32 Light Years
Rafael Luque (University of Chicago)
IP | NASA Press Release | IAC Press Release | MIT Press Release | ORIGINS Press Release | Additional Multimedia Materials
Wednesday, 15 June 2022, 2:15 pm PDT
Extragalactic Investigations & Evolved Stars (Briefing video)
Black Hole Activity Is Not Evolving in Central Cluster Galaxies
Valeria Olivares (University of Kentucky)
[428.02] | IP | Press Release
Discovery of an Extremely Luminous, Decades-Old Pulsar Wind Nebula in the Very Large Array Sky Survey
Dillon Dong (California Institute of Technology)
[409.09] | IP | Press Release
Models for the Late-Time Excess Flux of a Peculiar Supernova
Curtis McCully (Las Cumbres Observatory)
[317.06] | IP | Press Release
A High Velocity Pulsar in a Galactic Supernova Remnant Measured by the Chandra X-ray Observatory
Xi Long and Paul Plucinsky (Center for Astrophysics | Harvard & Smithsonian)
[313.02] | IP | Press Release
Strange Abundances in a White Dwarf: Evidence for Simultaneous Accretion of Rocky and Icy Bodies
Ted Johnson (University of California, Los Angeles)
[309.07] | IP | STScI Press Release | UCLA Press Release
Thursday, 16 June 2022, 10:15 am PDT
Dusty Environments Near & Far (Briefing video)
New Images Combine Telescopes to Reveal the Growth and Destruction of Interstellar Dust in Nearby Galaxies
Christopher Clark (Space Telescope Science Institute)
[328.01] | IP | Press Release
Discovery of a Pre-merger Shock Wave in Abell 98: A Missing Piece in Building the Most Massive Structures in Our Universe
Arnab Sarkar (University of Kentucky)
[428.09] | V | Press Release
Building a 3D View of the Orion Star-Forming Region
Michael Foley (Harvard University)
[333.03] | IP | Press Release
Insights into the Formation of Interstellar Fullerenes and Carbon Nanotubes
Jacob Bernal (University of Arizona)
[340.03] | IP | Press Release
Dust Devils and Convective Vortices Observed by Mars 2020 Perseverance Rover
Brian Jackson (Boise State University)
[332.06] | IP | Press Release
Press Conference Livestreams
Journalists (and anyone else) unable to attend the meeting in person may tune in to our livestreamed briefings via one of two methods:
- Meeting registrants may access the livestreams via Zoom links that will be provided within the vFairs platform for each press conference event. Viewers who join the livestreams via these links will be able to ask questions via a Q&A chat box.
- Non-registrants may access the livestreams via the AAS Press Office YouTube channel. Viewers here will not be able to ask questions.
After the meeting, archived webcasts will be freely available via our online archive, which links to the individual briefing videos on the AAS Press Office YouTube channel.
Press Tour to NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory
On Friday, 17 June, press registrants will have the opportunity to join a special tour of NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), geared specifically toward science journalists. JPL is a federally funded research and development center and NASA field center; its many active projects include the Perseverance Mars rover and the Ingenuity helicopter, the Juno spacecraft orbiting Jupiter, the NuSTAR X-ray telescope, and the forthcoming Psyche asteroid orbiter.
The tour will run approximately from 9:30 am to 1:00 pm. We will visit JPL’s “mission control,” where you’ll see the Deep Space Network team at work. We will then visit the viewing galleries for two of our clean rooms, where we’ll see the NISAR spacecraft and a second spacecraft whose identity will be revealed later this week! We’ll conclude at the JPL Visitor Center and Von Karman Auditorium where you can see models of some of our spacecraft, learn about the history of JPL, and talk with some of the scientists and engineers who make the JPL magic happen.
The list of tour attendees will be finalized by the end of the day on 8 June, 2022 — so if you haven't yet signed up via the expression of interest form, do so today!
Thanks to Calla Cofield and NASA JPL for arranging this tour.
Additional Program Highlights
Please see the 1st Media Advisory for a list of program highlights at AAS 240 that may be of interest to journalists.
For additional information, visit the AAS 240 Block Schedule, which can be filtered by session type to identify specific events of interest like Plenaries, Town Halls, or Attendee Events.
AAS on Twitter
During the meeting, the AAS Press Office will post announcements of interest to reporters on Twitter at @AAS_Press. Other AAS Twitter handles include @AAS_Office, @AAS_Policy, @AAS_Publishing, and @AASNova. Journalists (and scientists) tweeting from the meeting are encouraged to use the hashtag #aas240.
A Note on Visas and COVID-19 Restrictions for Travel to the United States
Visa requirements for international travelers to the USA have become more stringent, and COVID-19 travel restrictions and measures are currently in place for both US citizens and international citizens entering the country. If you are an international traveler, you are responsible for determining the current COVID-19 travel restrictions and visa requirements that apply to you. Additional information is available from the US State Department and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. If you need a letter for a visa application certifying that you are registered for the meeting, please request your complimentary press registration as soon as possible; only after you complete it can AAS Press Officer Susanna Kohler send you such a letter.
AAS Press List
If you don't already receive press releases by email from the AAS Press Office, you should sign up now to guarantee that you receive future meeting advisories as well as other important announcements. To sign up for the AAS Press List at no charge, please fill out and submit the form you'll find linked from our Join the AAS Press List page. With few exceptions, only accredited journalists and PIOs are eligible to receive press releases from the AAS, as described on our press-credentials page.
