We are holding a VIRTUAL “Macomb” meeting this month due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Schedule:
7 PM: Tech check and warmup (Webex only)
7:30 PM: YouTube goes live / Introductions
7:35 PM: In the News, In the Sky
7:50 PM: Officers’ reports, Special Interest Groups
8:00 PM: Observing Reports, Ask an Astronomy Question
8:15 PM: Break, informal discussion
8:30 PM: Feature talk

If you’d like to join the webex to speak and share your video if you wish, please email joinlive@warrenastro.org.

If you’re just joining the YouTube stream, go to https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC12jUX4Gmweg6fTtUuqa8CQ/live

In order to comment on the YouTube stream, you must have a Google Account and a YouTube channel. Here are guides to setting both up:

Google Account: https://support.google.com/youtube/answer/161805
YouTube Channel: https://support.google.com/youtube/answer/1646861

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Main talk: Are we alone or do we share our solar system and galaxy with other forms of life? And how widespread are advanced civilizations with whom we could communicate? Robert will explore ways of answering these questions: launching robotic spacecraft to explore our solar system, detecting chemical biosignatures in exoplanet atmospheres, and employing various techniques for picking up signatures of advanced civilizations.

Robert has recently published a pair of articles exploring these topics in Astronomy Magazine: the cover story of the September 2020 print issue (if you don’t currently subscribe, it’s available on newsstands right now!) and a companion article you can read on Astronomy’s website: https://astronomy.com/magazine/news/2020/07/planets-and-life

Robert Naeye is a freelance science journalist based in Hershey, Pennsylvania. He is a former editor in chief of Sky & Telescope, one of the world’s most respected popular astronomy magazines. He also worked for NASA at its Goddard Space Flight Center in Maryland. During his 30-year career he has written hundreds of articles about astronomy and space science. He has authored two books and contributed to three others. Please visit his website at: http://www.robertnaeye.com.
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Post-meeting “gastronomy” will resume when we can do so safely.
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If you would like to present a short talk (5-15 minutes) or a long talk (40-60 minutes) at a future meeting, please email Dale Partin at firstvp@warrenastro.org.
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The views expressed in presentations are those of the speakers and do not necessarily represent, and should not be attributed to, the Warren Astronomical Society.