We are very happy to invite our members, observers, and friends to the 89^th Annual Meeting of the American Association of Variable Star Observers. This meeting will be held in Waltham, Massachusetts, from October 25^th to 28^th , 2000. The AAVSO annual meeting gives both newcomers and longtime attendees the opportunity to share ideas, experiences, and tips on variable star observing. Attendees are also invited to visit the AAVSO Headquarters and to meet the AAVSO staff members. Attending the AAVSO annual meeting is an excellent way for the AAVSO members and observers to stay informed of the many activities and accomplishments of the Association.

We have many interesting events planned for this meeting, including: participation in a special celebration honoring Cecilia Payne-Gaposchkin at the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics, a Thursday night dinner and open house at AAVSO Headquarters, a public lecture given by long-time member Mario Motta followed by an AAVSO Show & Tell, an AAVSO Town Meeting, the AAVSO membership meeting, 2 scientific paper sessions, our annual banquet and awards presentation, and a special guest lecture titled “Searching for Planetary Transits,” which will be presented by Dr. David Latham of the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics.

We would like to thank the Massachusetts Medical Society (MMS) for hosting our regular meeting activities in their Headquarters building in Waltham, Massachusetts. We very much appreciate the use of their top-notch facilities and we look forward to welcoming some of the members of the MMS to various parts of our meeting. We would also like to thank the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics for including us in their special program.

Whether you have attended dozens of AAVSO meetings or are a first-time attendee, we hope to see you in Waltham for the 89^th Annual Meeting of the AAVSO. This is sure to be an interesting and exciting meeting.

SPECIAL EVENTS

The Starry Universe: The Cecilia Payne-Gaposchkin Centenary: The Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics will hold a special celebration to honor the memory of Cecilia Payne-Gaposchkin on her 100th birthday. Cecilia Payne-Gaposchkin had many astronomical specialties during her career. She was one of the leading variable star astronomers of her time. The speakers in this symposium will include some of Cecilia's former Ph.D. students, friends, family members, and colleagues from Cecilia's various areas of expertise. Speakers in the preliminary program include: Paul Hodge, Catherine Pilachowski, Margaret Geller, Scott Kenyon, Wendy Freedman, Virginia Trimble, Dorrit Hoffleit, Janet Mattei, Katherine Haramundanis, Owen Gingerich, Chris Sneden, and Kenneth Janes. We are very glad that the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics was able to schedule this special celebration to coincide with the AAVSO 89th Annual Meeting. The program will begin at 1 p.m. Thursday afternoon and will continue Friday morning. A detailed program for this symposium will be mailed to each registrant along with the AAVSO meeting confirmation letter.

The Starry Universe symposium now has a web page which includes the preliminary schedule and an image of the symposium poster.

Dinner and Open House: All attendees are invited to attend an open house and buffet dinner at AAVSO Headquarters on Thursday night, October 26^th . Staff members will be present to answer questions and assist with the use of the AAVSO International Database. Please note that this evening will be the only time AAVSO Headquarters will be open for touring during the meeting.

AAVSO Town Meeting: We have scheduled an open discussion session on Friday afternoon for you, our members and observers, to share ideas and experiences, ask questions, and discuss important issues in an open forum - similar to a town meeting. We encourage everyone to participate in this session, which was first held during last year’s annual meeting in Hyannis, MA. Please note any topics that you would especially like to discuss in the appropriate place on your registration form.

Friday Dinner: Due to the very full schedule on Friday we will not have time for an extended dinner break. For your convenience and to minimize the time spent shuttling attendees between MMS Headquarters and the hotel, we have scheduled a dinner to be held at the MMS Headquarters immediately following the Town Meeting. The meeting activities will resume in the MMS Auditorium following dinner.

Public Lecture, AAVSO Show & Tell, Observing:
Longtime AAVSO and MMS member, Mario Motta will present a public lecture titled “Wonders of the Universe.” This lecture will cover the many ways that amateur astronomers can explore the universe both for enjoyment and for research purposes.

Following this lecture we will hold an AAVSO Show & Tell. We know that many of you have interesting pictures, videos, poems, funny stories or jokes, perhaps even a song that you would like to share with the others in attendance! Our goal with this session is to have some fun. We encourage the partners of our members and observers to join in the program with their stories, jokes, etc. We think that this session could really be an enjoyable addition to our annual meeting, but we need your participation to make it a success! So be creative and plan to participate in the first AAVSO Show & Tell.

Weather permitting, there will be an informal observing session held on the grounds of the MMS Headquarters following this session.

Membership Meeting: All attendees are invited to this gathering, which will be held from 9:00 am to 12:00 pm on Saturday, October 28^th . The purpose of this meeting is to inform attendees of the activities of the Association, and will include reports from the Secretary, Treasurer, Committee Chairs, and the Director.

A group photo will be taken immediately following this meeting.

Meeting attendees may order the lunch buffet, which will take place immediately following the group photo.

Scientific Paper Sessions: Members and friends are invited to present papers on variable stars and related topics. Papers will be presented both on Friday and Saturday afternoons, October 27^th and 28^th . Realizing that some results require more than 15 minutes for effective presentation, we will be flexible with the allocation of time for paper presentations. Timeslots will range from 15 to 30 minutes. Those planning to present papers at this meeting should complete and return the enclosed abstract form no later than October 6^th , 2000. Authors with email access are encouraged to send the information requested on the abstract form electronically to: meetings@aavso.org

Annual Banquet and Award Presentation: The Annual Banquet will be held in the Best Western Ballroom on the evening of Saturday, October 28^th . It will be preceded by a cash bar and followed by the presentation of the AAVSO Nova Award and the W. T. Olcott Award for Service to the AAVSO. The banquet will feature a choice of roast tenderloin of beef, stuffed baked shrimp, or vegetarian pasta.

Guest Lecture: Following the banquet and awards presentation Dr. David Latham of Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics will present a guest lecture on the interesting and exciting topic of planetary transits.

“Searching for Planetary Transits”

The discovery of the first star to show transits by an extrasolar planet, HD 209458, has opened a new era where we can learn a lot about the astrophysical characteristics of these planets. Much like an eclipsing system, we can derive the mass and radius of the planet, and therefore its density and surface gravity. Moreover, we may be able to learn about the atmosphere of the planet by detecting the light it absorbs from the spectrum of the parent star during transit. Clearly, we need to discover more transiting planets. The photometric accuracy needed to detect close-in giant planets is within the reach of amateur astronomers with modern instrumentation. The detection of earth-like planets will require a space mission.

ACCOMMODATIONS

Sleeping rooms have been reserved for AAVSO meeting attendees (at special group rates) at both the Best Western and the Susse Chalet. The Finance Committee meeting, Council meeting and AAVSO banquet will be held in the Best Western Ballroom. The Susse Chalet is conveniently located directly across the street from the Best Western. Please note that the room reservation deadlines are quickly approaching, so please make your reservations as soon as possible.

Best Western Hotel, 477 Totten Pond Rd., Waltham, MA 02451
The following rates have been obtained for meeting attendees:
$129.00 (US funds) per night, single or double occupancy
(9.7% room tax not included)
(check-in after 3:00pm, check-out by 11:00am)

Please make reservations by calling the Best Western at 1-781-890-7800 before September 25, 2000.

Susse Chalet, 385 Winter St., Waltham, MA 02451
The following special rates have been obtained for meeting attendees:
$119.00 (US funds) per night, single or double occupancy
(9.7% room tax not included)
(check-in after 3:00pm, check-out by 11:00am)

Please make reservations by calling the Susse Chalet at 1-781-890-2800 before September 25, 2000.

Please be sure to mention that you will be participating in the AAVSO meeting when making your room reservations. Again, be sure to make those reservations early!

REGISTRATION

A registration form for this meeting is online. Please return the form along with payment in US funds no later than October 6, 2000. After this date the early registration rate will no longer be available and some functions may be sold-out. Please send your form and payment to: AAVSO, 25 Birch St., Cambridge, MA 02138, USA.

TRANSPORTATION

A map with driving directions will be mailed to all meeting registrants.

Transportation will be provided between the hotel and meeting events at the MMS Headquarters, AAVSO Headquarters, and the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics. A detailed “shuttle” schedule will be distributed prior to the meeting.

Rental Car: Below is a list of some of the rental car agencies that operate out of Logan Airport and their toll-free phone numbers.

US Shuttle: No reservation is needed unless your flight arrives after 10:30pm. Those with arrivals prior to 10:30pm should call US Shuttle from the airport (617-489-4701) to request pick-up. To make a reservation for a post-10:30pm pick-up call 617-489-4701 or 1-800-714-1115 (outside MA). The trip from Logan Airport to the Best Western or the Susse Chalet is about $20.