Summary of the January 2023 American Astronomical Society Meeting

Dr. Regina Jorgenson • January 25, 2023

By: Dr. Regina Jorgenson, MMA Director of Astronomy


Earlier this month, MMA Astronomy interns, post-baccalaureate research fellows, Director of Astronomy, Dr. Regina Jorgenson, Executive Director, Joanna Roche, and Director of Science and Programming, Jónelle Gurley, traveled to Seattle, WA for the ‘Superbowl’ of the astronomy world, the American Astronomical Society (AAS) meeting. 


The AAS meeting is the largest annual gathering of professional astronomers, this year seeing over 3,000 astronomers come together to share news of their latest and greatest research results. Exciting new results were presented in all fields of astronomy, but the highlight of this meeting were the many amazing new results coming from NASA’s new Great Observatory, the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST), launched in December 2021. In addition to detecting and attempting to measure the atmosphere of the first Earth-like exoplanet, JWST is peering back into the early Universe farther than we’ve ever seen, giving us a glimpse at early star and galaxy formation. For a more detailed summary of the JWST results, listen to Dr. Jorgenson’s Looking Skyward interview here.


All six of the MMA’s summer 2022 National Science Foundation Research Experience for Undergraduates (NSF-REU) interns attended the meeting and presented posters describing their summer research. Presentation results spanned a broad range, from understanding how star spots can affect the overall brightness of a star, to how a nova explosion expands into its surroundings, to a new method for finding supermassive black holes getting kicked out of their galaxies. Other work attempted to use X-rays to understand the properties of interstellar dust, image some of the first galaxies forming in the early Universe, and use cosmological simulations to help us understand the largest structures in the universe, galaxy clusters. During their poster presentations, the NSF-REU interns spoke with top researchers in the field, allowing them to make scientific connections and act as ambassadors for all of the amazing research being done at the MMA. 


The annual MMA Alumni and Friends Breakfast was a highlight of the week, bringing together approximately 30 REU alumni, mentors, and friends. Connections were forged and stories were shared of long-ago summers spent studying the universe under the dark skies of Nantucket Island. 


MMA REU interns in attendance include: 

Kate Shavelle, MMA Astronomy intern and Columbia University student

Anavi Uppal, MMA Astronomy intern and Yale University student

Devisree Tallapaneni, MMA Astronomy intern and Cornell student

Will Jarvis, MMA Astronomy intern University of Wisconsin - Madison student

Chris Chang, MMA Astronomy intern and Willamette University student

Danya Alboslani, MMA Astronomy intern and University of Connecticut student

Recent Posts

Maria Mitchell In Her Own Words

By Jascin N. Leonardo Finger • October 19, 2026
October 1. {1857} No place that I have yet seen in Europe has interested me like Abbotsford; no palace has held such royalty. I sat down in the chair which Sir Walter Scott had occupied, and I almost felt his presence; his power I had known nearly all my life . . . . It was rather a sad visit as all such visits must be . . . I had half a mind to sit down and cry, perhaps because the “wizard” was dead, perhaps because I was a little homesick. This date marked the anniversary of Maria Mitchell’s comet discovery on October 1, 1847. At least one of Scott’s books exists in Maria’s personal library today – and I am sure there were more – handed about among family members, as well as available at the Nantucket Atheneum. This was truly an experience and education for Maria – touring through Europe. It was also the first time she had even been away from home for any length of time. She was entering into her third month away from her family and Nantucket – it must not have been easy. Keep in mind – no easy communication – letters only, do not forget. At least a voice at the other end of a phone line can help a bit when one is homesick. (Yeah, no, I’m not a Facetime/Skype kind of girl. I do “live” in the 19 th century!) JNLF

Keep Calm and Bird On: October 2026

October 1, 2026
“If you don’t look, you don’t see. You have to go and look.” -Edith Andrews

Celebrating Maria’s Discovery of a Comet – October 1, 1847

By Jascin N. Leonardo Finger • October 1, 2026
10mo 1, 1847. {October 1, 1847} This evening at half past ten Maria discovered a telescopic comet five degrees above Polaris. Persuaded that no nebulae could occupy that position unnoticed it scarcely needed the evidence of motion to give it the character of a comet. From the journals of William Mitchell, father of Maria. One hundred and seventy-nine years later! JNLF
Show More