So school's over, and I'm leaving Dubai to head out to Purdue University. Probably the only few things I'll miss about the place are the beaches, shwarmas, and the 4 a.m. prayers. I definitely won't miss the heat and humidity which drapes my lenses in dew! :@

Anyway, thanks to my readership at UniverseToday.com, I came across Citizen Sky, a big endeavor to study the approximately 2-year eclipse (which begins this August) of the variable star Epsilon Aurigae.
This hunk of fiery stellar gas, with its irregular variability, is a big mystery apparently, and since eclipses happen every 27 years or so, observational data trickles in at a very slow rate. This time however, the American Association of Variable Star Observers (AAVSO) has launched an effort to call out the public, citizen scientists and amateur astronomers around the world, to contribute in any way they can. Hopefully simple yet effective research on this scale will further our understanding of this elusive star. Anyone at least a tad interested, check out their website at [link]

As part of this project, I will be attending a workshop at Adler Planetarium in Chicago from 4th-7th August. And thanks to the National Science Foundation, I got a $500 travel grant. Chips off more than 50% of my plane ticket!

In other news, Dinara Safina is fighting her way through Wimbledon and has reached the semis, only to be drawn against the arrogant Venus Williams. Game on.