Astronomy on Tap Atlanta – August 2024

Date: Thursday, August 29^th 8-9:30pm

Abstract: The periodic table is full of all types of elements, including the Carbon in our bodies, the Oxygen we breathe, and the Uranium we use for nuclear energy. But the Universe only began with Hydrogen and Helium. How did these heavy elements come to be? Astronomers study the origin of elements and can detect them in the stars in the Milky Way. By understanding our current night sky and the history of the periodic table, we can infer aspects about events long past in the Milky Way. This is an area of astronomy dubbed “Galactic Archeology.” This lecture will cover how we detect these elements in distant stars, what we can learn about the Milky Way, and how the chemicals that make up Earth were crafted.