beamjockey | Antimatter Talk in Naperville Tuesday 7 April

The newsletter of the totally excellent Naperville Astronomical Association arrived today. I'm the speaker at the next meeting, and it occurred to me that I ought to mention the talk here. Quoting:

The Stuff That Sci-Fi Dreams Are Made Of

As our universe coalesced from the Big Bang, theory hints that there was almost as much antimatter formed as the “regular” matter that we’re made of. But today, almost all of the antimatter is apparently gone, excepting from minute amounts created in high-energy physics labs, and much larger volumes which exist in another earthly spot: Our imaginations.

After its discovery by physicists in the 1930s, antimatter eventually became commonplace in science fiction stories. At our April 7th meeting, NAA member and Fermilab employee Bill Higgins will trace the path from science to fiction, which passes through astronomy and the study of meteorites before falling into the hands of such SF writers as John Campbell, Robert Heinlein, and Jack Williamson. The presentation is based on research Bill did for a short article in the September 2008 issue of Symmetry magazine.

The program will begin at 7:30p.m., in downstairs rooms A-B-C of the Naperville Municipal Center, at Aurora Ave. & Eagle St. in downtown Naperville (see the Map page of our website, www.naperastro.org for directions). The public is welcome to attend, free of charge.

This club is large and very active; I've particularly admired their committment to serving the public with star parties, open house at their observatories, and so forth. If you're in range of the Naperville area, check 'em out.