The Vera Rubin Observatory will perform the Legacy Survey of Space and Time (LSST) over the next ten years with five optical color bands. First proposed in 2001 and first funded (with private money) in 2007, it recently started taking data with the largest digital camera in the world, which covers the width of 7 […]
A number of space missions have launched since 2022, when Tim Dowling gave a course at the Free Public Library on solar system exploration. These include launches to the Moon, Jupiter and asteroids. Come here details with Dr. Tim Dowling!
The James Webb Space Telescope has infrared vision, and sees wavelengths up to 40 times longer than detectable by the human eye. This reveals unique signatures from atoms and molecules, and the "cold" Universe, down to -300 degrees F and even colder. The Webb Telescope has unveiled a new population of "red spots". Come here […]
Are other universes possible?
Matt Nichols will talk about coronal mass ejections around other stars.
Christopher Graney is an Adjunct Scholar at the Vatican Observatory, specializing in the history of astronomy. He has written two books about Galileo, one on "When Science Goes Wrong" and a third just out in 2026, with Dennis Danielson, "A Universe of Earths: Our Planet and Other Worlds, from Copernicus to NASA" (Oxford U. Press). […]
Astronomy and paleontology have a common thread - deep time. Alan Goldstein will weave a story of how observing galaxies and collecting fossils are linked. One can see "fossil photons" from a galaxy that headed our way when T. rex or trilobites were alive. Come listen to an author who has written over 50 articles […]
As historical sciences, there are some parallels between paleontology and astronomy because both disciplines have the ability to examine events of the past, albeit in very different ways. In this talk, Dr. Bulinski will describe how the study of paleontology developed as a scientific discipline, and how paleontologists of the 21st century use modern methods […]
The Gas the Built the Universe: How Galaxies Breathe, Grow and Die Kyle Cook, U Louisville The story of the Universe is the slow journey of collecting gas and building remarkable structures like stars, planets, and at least one race of beings who dare to ask grand questions. Galaxies are where this story is told. […]
Scientists have lives which can be very different from "Big Bang Theory". They study for years, move around on contract jobs, compete for grants and try to find stable, long-term positions. There will be a panel discussion among scientists from different fields and stages of their careers, including graduate students, tenured and retired faculty. Come […]