International Year of Asronomy
Dr. Irene Porro
Thu Jan 29, 04-05:00pm, 37-252 Marlar Lounge
No enrollment limit, no advance sign up
Single session event
In the year 2009 the world will celebrate the International Year of Astronomy as it commemorates the quadricentennial anniversary of Galileo's use of a telescope to study the skies. The United States will be one of 1004 nations expected to participate in this international event recognizing numerous astronomical and scientific milestones. During this session astronomy educators will present major themes of the IYA celebration and ways to become involved. These themes range from arts and entertainment to research experiences for everyone (such as a worldwide Citizen Science project) to cultural astronomy, dark sky awareness and new media technologies. Come and learn about specific ways to connect to your community through astronomy!
Contact: Steve Kissel, 37-511, x3-7242, sek@space.mit.edu
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New Visions of the Center of Our Galaxy
Dr. Frederick Baganoff
Tue Jan 27, 02-02:30pm, 37-252 Marlar Lounge
No enrollment limit, no advance sign up
Single session event
A new generation of telescopes and instruments have revealed the core of our galaxy, the Milky Way, in spectacular detail. On the smallest scales, ground-based infrared telescopes have traced the path of a star that passed within just 17 light-hours or 11 billion miles of the dark massive object at the dynamical center of the galaxy. An analysis of the star's motion indicates that the dark object has a mass of about 3.7 millions suns, and provides the strongest evidence to date for the existence of a supermassive black hole. On larger scales, the new observations have revealed fantastic images of the interactions between giant molecular clouds, expanding supernova blast waves, and stellar winds from clusters of hot young stars that are frantically blowing off their outer atmospheres.
Contact: Steve Kissel, 37-511, x3-7242, sek@space.mit.edu
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The Space Nanotechnology Lab
Dr. Ralf Heilmann
Tue Jan 20, 02-02:30pm, 37-252 Marlar Lounge
No enrollment limit, no advance sign up
Single session event
The Space Nanotechnology Lab (SNL) develops advanced lithographic and nano-fabrication technology for building high performance space instrumentation, as well as nanometer-accuracy metrology and assembly technology. Contributions to the currently orbiting Chandra X-ray Observatory and the future Constellation-X mission are described. A tour of the facility for a limited number of guests will immediately follow the presentation.
Contact: Steve Kissel, 37-511, x3-7242, sek@space.mit.edu
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Tour of Space Nanotechnology Lab
Dr. Ralf Heilmann
Tue Jan 20, 02-03:00pm, 37-252 Marlar Lounge, Tour follows talk
Enrollment limited: advance sign up required (see contact below)
Limited to 6 participants.
Prereq: Attend preceding talk prior to tour
During the tour of the SNL's three clean rooms visitors will see sophisticated optical (interference lithography stations for the fabrication of submicron period gratings, high power UV laser, metrology station for optics shape measurements, sub-nanometer resolution interferometers, etc.) and mechanical systems (XY-air-bearing stage, sub-micron accuracy alignment system, environmental enclosure, active vibration isolation, etc.) that support the development of thin-foil x-ray optics and gratings. Due to clean room access procedures this tour must be limited to 6 persons.
Contact: Steve Kissel, 37-511, x3-7242, sek@space.mit.edu
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Tour of the Operations Control Center for the Chandra X-ray Observatory
Dr. Irene Porro
Wed Jan 28, 04-05:00pm, NE-80, Meet NE-80 Lobby
Enrollment limited: advance sign up required (see contact below)
Limited to 25 participants.
Single session event
The Chandra X-ray Observatory is the world's most powerful X-ray telescope, allowing scientists to study the origin, structure and evolution of our universe in greater detail than ever before. The spacecraft and science instruments are controlled from the Operations Control Center (OCC) in Cambridge, Massachusetts. We will take our visitors on a tour of the OCC and show where scientists and engineers direct the flight and execute the observing plan of Chandra, and where they receive the scientific data from the observatory. During the tour the visitors will learn about the basics of X-ray astronomy and about the latest, exciting discoveries made by MIT scientists with data acquired with Chandra.
Contact: Steve Kissel, 37-511, x3-7242, sek@space.mit.edu
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