SOVO// Magazine and The Neutra Institute Museum are pleased to present an evening of discussion on astronomy and architecture with physicist Timothy Thompson on Thursday, November 14 from 6—9pm. The event is free, but space is limited. Please RSVP via hello@sovomagazine.com. _______ABOUT PHYSICIST TIMOTHY THOMPSON Tim is a physicist and astronomer, now retired from a 28-year career at the NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL). He has been working with Mount Wilson Observatory since 1981, and is currently a trustee of the Mount Wilson Institute. “I enjoy the practice and history of astronomy. I have my own telescope, an 80mm Meade refractor, but I prefer to go to star parties and look through everybody else's telescopes anyway. Part of my excitement comes from dealing with the public–at public star parties, or by giving a talk, or by leading an observatory tour, or just showing the sky to somebody who has never looked at it before,” says Tim. When people say everything is just made of stardust, they’re not lying! Tim will share his enthusiasm for space with us and explain how our environment exists in the first place, how we respond to it, and how it responds to us. In 1972, Tim graduated from the U.S. Air Force Defense Language Institute and began working with the School of Applied Cryptological Science. After leaving the US Air Force in 1975, he received his Bachelors and Masters degrees in Physics from California State University, Los Angeles. Subsequently, Tim spent eleven years in the radio astronomy group at JPL. His work there included intensive observation and study of the outer planet atmospheres and magnetospheres, including radio observations using the facilities of the Deep Space Network. Tim also spent eight years on the Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Emission and Reflection Radiometer (ASTER) project, looking down at Earth from space, granting him a perspective few can boast. Tim is now the sitting president of the Los Angeles Astronomical Society (LAAS) and President of the consortium of Western Amateur Astronomers. He is a member of the Board of Trustees for the Mount Wilson Institute, which is responsible for managing and funding Mount Wilson Observatory; he also serves as a docent and observing session director at the observatory. He has a strong interest in the welfare of science over “pseudoscience” and is a regular contributor to the talk.origins Usenet newsgroup. Tim Thompson is featured in the SOVO// Magazine [ Issue 6 ] editorial on Mount Wilson Observatory. [ Issue 6 ] is titled STRUCTURE and addresses topics in architecture and design. This talk is part of a three-week-long exhibition on the work from STRUCTURE. [ Issue 6 ] is now available for pre-order at sovomagazine.com.