CARNEGIE 2006 ASTRONOMY LECTURE SERIES
Fourth Season at the Huntington
Download a Full Color Brochure [PDF]
All lectures start at 7:30 p.m. They are free and open to the public, but seating is limited. Arrive early.
For the fourth consecutive season, the lectures will be held in Friends' Hall at The Huntington Library, Art Collections, and Botanical Gardens, 1151 Oxford Road, San Marino, California (visit www.huntington.org for directions).
Parking is free. To access the parking lot, please enter The Huntington via the Allen Avenue gate.
For more information about the Carnegie Observatories or this lecture series, please call 626-304-0270 or e-mail phifer@ociw.edu.
Carnegie's 2006 Astronomy Lecture Series is funded in part by the Confidence Foundation.
Tuesday, March 21, 2006, 7:30 p.m.
What, if Anything, is a Galaxy?
Dr. Barry Madore
Senior Research Associate, Observatories of the Carnegie Institution of Washington
A hundred years ago people knew of thousands of nebulous patches scattered across the sky, but no one knew what they were. Today we have imaged and cataloged millions of galaxies, and know that these "nebulae" are distant cousins of our own Milky Way - enormous structures composed of billions of stars. But much lies hidden beneath the outer layers of these intergalactic icebergs. Dr. Madore will discuss the latest results from space and ground-based missions targeting these denizens of the deep.
Tuesday, April 4, 2006, 7:30 p.m.
Making Weird and Beautiful Planetary Systems
Dr. Alycia Weinberger
Staff Member, Department of Terrestrial Magnetism, Carnegie Institution of Washington
Our Sun sports a beautiful system of planets, and other planetary systems come in a wide variety of configurations quite unlike our own. To understand the mechanisms for planet building is an astronomical quest that compels us to look out to young stars. The leftovers from star formation are the raw materials for planets, and around young stars we look for analogues of the early Solar System. Dr. Weinberger will describe how we learn about nascent planetary systems and the processes that sculpt them.
Tuesday, April 18, 2006, 7:30 p.m.
Unlocking the Secrets of Gamma-Ray Bursts
Dr. Edo Berger
Hubble/Carnegie-Princeton Fellow, Observatories of the Carnegie Institution of Washington
Gamma-ray bursts, the most powerful explosions since the Big Bang, light up the universe several times a day with the extreme brilliance of a million galaxies. Dr. Berger will chronicle the 30-year race to understand their origin - the catastrophic death of the most massive stars and the collisions of neutron stars and black holes. He will also describe how these powerful explosions are being used to pinpoint and study the first stars and galaxies in the Universe.
Tuesday, May 2, 2006, 7:30 p.m.
Colliding Galaxies and Their Cosmic Fireworks
Dr. Francois Schweizer
Staff Astronomer, Observatories of the Carnegie Institution of Washington
Aided by space telescopes and computers, astronomers have begun to unravel the mysteries of galaxy formation and evolution. During their journeys, galaxies interact gravitationally with each other and occasionally even collide. These brief but fierce encounters can trigger spectacular bursts of star formation and fuel black holes in quasars. Dr. Schweizer will explain how we have come to view galaxies as building blocks in the assembly of bigger objects, hinting perhaps at the future of the Milky Way.
