We are delighted to invite our members, observers, and friends to join us for the 3rd High-Energy Astrophysics Workshop for Amateur Astronomers and the 94th Spring Meeting of the American Association of Variable Star Observers. Both events will be held in Las Cruces, New Mexico, home of New Mexico State University, March 20-26, 2005.

Located in southern New Mexico, Las Cruces is known for its rich history and cultural diversity. The area is packed with a wide range of activities and attractions that the whole family can enjoy. We have many interesting events planned for this meeting, including: an HEA workshop welcome reception, the 3-day HEA workshop itself, interesting evening guest lectures by Michael Zeilik, Phil Plait and Reta Beebe, two star parties with the Astronomical Society of Las Cruces, an exciting field trip to the Very Large Array (VLA), the AAVSO membership meeting, two AAVSO scientific paper sessions, and the closing banquet with AAVSO awards presentations and a short talk by Elizabeth Waagen on her recent travels to New Zealand.

AAVSO meetings and workshops give both newcomers and longtime attendees the opportunity to share ideas and experiences. Attending these gatherings is also an excellent way to learn about and keep up to date on the many activities and accomplishments of the Association. Bring your families and stay a few extra days to enjoy the sights! Whether you have attended dozens of AAVSO meetings or are a first-time attendee, we hope to see you in Las Cruces for the 3rd High-Energy Astrophysics Workshop and the 94th Spring Meeting of the AAVSO. This is sure to be an interesting, exciting, and enjoyable event.

3rd HIGH-ENERGY ASTROPHYSICS WORKSHOP FOR AMATEUR ASTRONOMERS (HEA3)

We would like to announce the third in our series of High-Energy Astrophysics Workshops for Amateur Astronomers (HEA3), to take place in Las Cruces March 21-23, 2005, with a welcome reception on the evening of March 20th. Attendees from all over the US and almost a dozen countries participated in the first two HEA Workshops in 2000 and 2002. Each workshop offered two full days of scientific lectures and demonstrations. The workshops fully met the AAVSO’s goals of disseminating information and generated such positive feedback that we were encouraged to establish a series of similar workshops to be held under the auspices of the AAVSO at regular intervals.

We are happy to announce that we have expanded the HEA Workshop from 2 days to 3 days. A combination of talks and workshops will be offered over a 3-day period on high energy objects (including Gamma-Ray Bursts (GRBs), Blazars, Polars, Magnetars, etc.), data analysis, and photometry. As with the previous HEA workshops, talks will be given by experts in the field but should be accessible to most amateur astronomers.

This HEA3 is being sponsored by the AAVSO, New Mexico State University, NASA's Swift and GLAST missions, Sonoma State University, and Marshall Space Flight Center with additional support by the Curry Foundation. Thanks to the generous support of NASA a limited number of travel grants will be available to HEA3 attendees. The application form for an HEA3 travel grant can be found online at: http://www.aavso.org/aavso/meetings/hea-app.shtml. Grants will be awarded as applications come in until all funds are distributed or March 11, whichever comes first.

SPECIAL EVENTS

HEA Workshop Welcome Reception: A reception will be held Sunday evening, March 20th, at the Hilton Las Cruces to welcome all of the high-energy workshop attendees. We encourage everyone to attend this reception and get to know some of the other attendees as well as the workshop presenters. This is the first official event of the meeting - what a perfect time to catch up with old friends and to make new ones. Join us for some wonderful food with hint of local flavor!

Monday Evening Talk: Dr. Michael Zeilik will be presenting a talk Monday evening at 8:00pm titled, "Pueblo Indian Skywatching.” The talk will focus on the astronomy of the historic Pueblos and its origin as a scheduling tool for religious ceremonies. These practices involve two separate but intertwined cycles: seasonal sunwatching and lunarphase counting. With the background of historic practices as a guide, Dr. Zeilik will examine selected sites in the Four Corners area of the prehistoric Pueblo world to evaluate their possible astronomical uses and practices. Dr. Zeilik is a Professor Emeritus of Physics and Astronomy at the University of New Mexico. In his teaching, he specialized in introductory courses for the novice, non-science major student. He is a pioneer in astronomy education research at the university level.

Tuesday Evening Talk and Observing: Dr. Phil Plait will be presenting a talk Tuesday evening at 8:00pm titled, "Seven Ways a Black Hole Can Kill You.” Currently, Dr. Plait works at Sonoma State University on a NASA-sponsored public outreach program for GLAST (Gamma Ray Large Area Space Telescope). Previously, he worked at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center on the Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph (STIS). After years as an avid amateur Phil received his PhD in astronomy at the University of Virginia in 1994. Nicknamed "The Bad Astronomer," one of his missions is to clear up misconceptions about astronomy which he does through his popular website, badastronomy.com. This talk will be held on the NMSU campus and will be co-hosted by the Astronomical Society of Las Cruces (ASLC). Following the talk, we will hold a joint star party with members of the ASLC.

VLA Field Trip: Thursday we will take a very special trip to the Very Large Array (VLA). The VLA, one of the world's premier astronomical radio observatories, consists of 27 radio antennas in a Y-shaped configuration on the Plains of San Agustin fifty miles west of Socorro, New Mexico. Each antenna is 25 meters (82 feet) in diameter. The data from the antennas are combined electronically to give the resolution of an antenna 36km (22 miles) across, with the sensitivity of a dish 130 meters (422 feet) in diameter. Our visit will consist of a video and a talk given by a VLA staff member in the visitor center theater followed by a walking tour of the site, including the control building and control room. There will be plenty of time for Q&A as well. The VLA staff members have been informed that our group is made up of avid astronomers and we have been assured that we will get a visit that is up to the standards of our group. This will not be the regular school group tour! NOTE - The site is at 7,000 feet and snow is possible September – May. Jackets/coats and sunscreen are a MUST!

Friday Evening Talk and Observing: Friday evening Dr. Reta Beebe will be presenting a talk on the Cassini Mission to Saturn and Titan. Dr. Beebe is a professor at NMSU, where she manages the Atmospheres Discipline Node, a part of NASA's Planetary Data System. Dr. Beebe's research has involved interpretation of data from the NASA Planetary Exploration program. She has worked on Voyager, Galileo and Cassini data, has used the Hubble Space Telescope for a Jupiter/Saturn observing program, and was a member of the Shoemaker/Levy team at the Space Telescope Science Institute in 1994. Following this on-campus talk, we will once again be observing with members of the Astronomical Society of Las Cruces (ASLC).

Membership Meeting: All attendees are invited to this gathering, which will be held from 9:00 am to 12:00 pm on Saturday, March 26th. The purpose of this meeting is to inform attendees of the activities of the Association. Reports from the Secretary, Treasurer, Committee Chairs, and the Director will be included. We will kick off the membership meeting with a Director’s Welcome from new AAVSO Director, Dr. Arne Henden.

Scientific Paper Sessions: Members and friends are invited to present papers on variable stars and related topics. Papers will be presented on Friday and Saturday afternoons, March 25th and 26th. Time-slots will range from 10 to 30 minutes, depending on amount of time requested and the number of papers submitted. Those planning to present papers at this meeting should complete and return the online abstract form no later than March 14th.

Banquet and Awards Presentation: The Banquet will be held at the Hilton Las Cruces on the evening of Saturday, March 26th. Menu choices include: grilled salmon, roast pork tenderloin, and vegetarian pasta. The banquet will be preceded by a cash bar and followed by AAVSO awards presentations. Following the presentations Elizabeth Waagen will describe her recent trip to New Zealand to represent the AAVSO at the celebrations honoring Dr. Frank Bateson on his retirement as the founding and sole Director of the Variable Star Section of the Royal Astronomical Society of New Zealand, the section he founded in 1927.

ACCOMMODATIONS

Sleeping rooms have been reserved for attendees (at special group rate) at the beautiful Hilton Las Cruces.

The Hilton Las Cruces is home to two restaurants: The Ventana Terrace, featuring delectable dishes and delightful weekend specialty buffets, and the Las Caras Cocktail Lounge, serving traditional fare with a New Mexican twist. The hotel features a pool, jacuzzi, fitness center, gift shop, salon, free parking & local shuttle, and on-site car rental (Hertz.) Each guest room is equipped with all of the standard amenities including free wireless and data port connections, cable TV, an iron and ironing board, hairdryer, coffee maker, and room service.

Hilton Las Cruces, 705 S. Telshor Blvd., Las Cruces, NM 88011

The following rate has been obtained for AAVSO meeting attendees:

$85.00 (US funds) per night, single or double occupancy (12% room tax not included)
(check-in after 2:00pm, check-out by noon)

Room reservations will be accepted starting February 9th. Please make reservations by calling the Hilton at 505-522-4300 before March 5, 2005. Also, please be sure to mention that you will be participating in the AAVSO meeting when making your room reservations.

LOOKING FOR A ROOMMATE? Anyone interested in sharing a room during the meeting should complete the roommate section of the registration form. We will collect this information and then forward the list, including contact information, to everyone in need of a roommate. We cannot guarantee that there will be a match for everyone, but this could be a useful way to help cut meeting costs.

REGISTRATION

TRANSPORTATION

Airport: The following airlines serve El Paso International Airport:

For additional airport information please see: http://www.elpasointernationalairport.com/

Rental Car: Below is a list of some of the rental car agencies that operate out of El Paso International Airport and their phone numbers.

Taxi/Shuttle Service: We recommend the Las Cruces Shuttle service for airport transportation. Reservations are required and can be made by calling 1-800-288-1784. We have a special group rate, so please mention that you are with the AAVSO when making your reservation. Cash, checks, and travelers checks are accepted – credit cards are not accepted. Fares are $30 1-way and $45 round trip, with discounts for additional passengers.