With COVID-19 rising again, next month’s ‘Super Bowl of Astronomy’ has been cancelled
As COVID-19 infection rates rise again, leaders of American Astronomical Society (AAS) canceled a major conference scheduled for early January, sometimes nicknamed the “Super Bowl of astronomy” by space aficionados.
The AAS Board of Directors voted to cancel the conference’s in-person events, scheduled to take place in Salt Lake City from January 9 to January 13. The group announced the decision in a statement released on December 22, noting that it is still deciding how to handle events that were scheduled to take place virtual. But the next day (December 23), another statement announced that the entire conference would be cancelled.
“The rapid increase of COVID-19 The Omicron variant and the health risks it poses to our employees, attendees, exhibitors and supporting contractors along with the potential for the attendees to spread the virus to others later when the conference was deemed too risky to hold,” the board wrote in its first statement. “In addition, international and institutional travel restrictions have impacted a number of developments. our authors and attendees, limiting their ability to travel to Salt Lake City.”
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The AAS usually holds one conference in early January and a smaller one in the summer; This year, according to the statement, the summer meeting will be considered “the great astronomical meeting of 2022.” The event is scheduled to take place in Pasadena, California, from June 12 to June 16.
Several events related to the winter meeting will be held almost exclusively on an individual basis, particularly press conferences, the statement noted, although the organization is also working to transform buildings. online marketplace and several networking opportunities for professionals just starting their careers, according to the statement.
AAS held its last in-person conference two years ago, when astronomers met in Honolulu in early January. While the team was also forced to pivot from in-person to virtual for its summer 2020 meeting, that decision was made with three months of warning, rather than just weeks. Since the meeting in Honolulu, all of the organization’s conferences have been held”almost anywhere. “
Whether the June 2022 meeting will meet a similar fate remains to be seen. In a statement dated December 23, the organization wrote that it would “convey a Task Force … to develop ideas on how to organize the June 2022 meeting and future meetings in a prioritized manner.” efficient, secure and inclusive connectivity.”
Email Meghan Bartels at mbartels@space.com or follow her on Twitter @megahanbartels. Follow us on Twitter @Spacedotcom and more Facebook.
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