by Victor Davis, Program Chair

October Meeting

The October, 2024 meeting of the AAAP will take place in Peyton Hall on the campus of Princeton University on Tuesday, October 8th at 7:30 PM. As usual, the meeting is open to AAAP members and the public. Participants can join the meeting in-person at Peyton Hall or log in to the Zoom session as early as 7:00 pm to chat informally before the meeting begins. The evening’s guest speaker is Paul Halpern, Professor of Physics at Saint Joseph’s University. His talk will be based on his book “The Allure of the Multiverse: Extra Dimensions, Other Worlds, and Parallel Universes.”

Options for Attending the Meeting

You may choose to attend the meeting in person or participate via Zoom or YouTube as we’ve been doing for the past few years. (See How to Participate below for details). Due to security concerns, if you log in before the host has set up internet connectivity in Peyton Hall, you may need to wait in the Waiting Room for a few minutes until the host is prepared to admit you into the meeting. You’ll need to unmute yourself to make comments or ask questions. It’s polite, though not required, for you to enable your camera so other participants can see you. A week or so after the meeting, the video of the lecture and Q&A will be posted on AAAP’s public YouTube channel.

The traditional “meet the speaker” dinner will be held at Winberie’s Restaurant & Bar, One Palmer Square, Princeton, NJ. Reservation is for 5:45 pm. Please advise the Program Chair if you plan to attend.

Princeton bookseller Labyrinth Books will be selling copies of Prof. Halpern’s book in the lobby, which he’ll be happy to sign after his presentation.

Here’s the anticipated agenda for October, 2024’s monthly meeting of the AAAP:

Getting to Peyton Hall
The parking lots across the street (Ivy Lane) from Peyton Hall are now construction sites, unavailable for parking. We’ve been advised by the administration of the astrophysics department that we should park in the new enclosed parking garage off Fitzrandolph street and walk around the stadium and athletic fields. Here’s a map of the campus and walking routes from the parking garage to Peyton Hall. The map shows the recently completed East Garage. Not shown is an access road Sweet Gum that connects from Faculty Road to an entrance at the lower left corner of the garage. Stadium Road connects from Fitzrandolph Road to another entrance at the opposite corner (and higher level) of the garage. It’s about a 10-15 minute walk from the parking garage to Peyton Hall.

The Allure of the Multiverse: Beyond the Limits of Direct Observation
Given the extent of the observable universe that has yet to be mapped out, some might wonder why some physicists have introduced the concept of a multiverse into their models.  This talk will examine why some eminent physicists, such as the late Nobel laureate Steven Weinberg, have been attracted to the idea of the multiverse, and others, such as Princeton cosmologist Paul Steinhardt, have raised significant concerns.  We’ll also show how the cultural and scientific ideas of multiverses differ significantly.

Mike DiMario reviewed Prof. Halpern’s latest book (“The Allure of the Multiverse…”) in last month’s edition of Sidereal Times.

Paul Halpern
Acclaimed science writer and physicist Dr. Paul Halpern is the author of eighteen popular science books, exploring the subjects of space, time, higher dimensions, dark energy, dark matter, exoplanets, particle physics, and cosmology. The recipient of a Guggenheim Fellowship, a Fulbright Scholarship, and an Athenaeum Literary Award, he has contributed to Nature, Physics Today, Aeon, NOVA’s “The Nature of Reality” physics blog, and Forbes “Starts with a Bang!” He has appeared on numerous radio and television shows including “Future Quest,” “Science Friday,” “Radio Times,” “Coast to Coast AM,” “The Simpsons 20th Anniversary Special,” and C-SPAN’s “BookTV.” Halpern’s latest book, “The Allure of the Multiverse,” describes the controversial history of higher dimensional and parallel universe schemes in science and culture. 

How to Participate (Links)

Zoom
https://us06web.zoom.us/j/88066206371?pwd=5dpse6PYG1T6Llxq9OvaGuXhJZb3OG.1
Meeting ID: 880 6620 6371
Passcode: 098987

YouTube
https://youtube.com/live/8HnWTCY-Pcw

Date	Featured Speaker	Topic
November 12, 2024	Manuel Cuesta mecuesta@princeton.edu	Dr. Manuel Cuesta, a Postdoctoral Research Associate in Princeton University’s Department of Astrophysics, will discuss his work on the Parker Solar Probe and other heliophysics projects.
December 10, 2024	Jesse Christiansen christia.ipac.caltech.edu	Dr. Christiansen is Senior Scientist at NASA’s Exoplanet Science Institute at Caltech. She’ll describe her research and the current status of Exoplanet discoveries.
January 12, 2025	Rebecca Boyle rebecca.b.boyle@gmail.com	Rebecca Boyle, science writer, essayist, and Contributing Editor to Scientific American, will discuss her new book, “Our Moon: How Earth’s Celestial Companion Transformed the Planet, Guided Evolution, and Made Us Who We Are.”  Suggested by Ira Polans.

As always, members’ comments and suggestions are gratefully accepted and much appreciated.

victor.davis@verizon.net
program@princetonastronomers
(908) 581-1780 cell