Mr. Alexander Ji
| Jan/23 | Mon | 01:30PM-02:30PM | Marlar Lounge 37-252 |
Enrollment: Unlimited: No advance sign-up
Prereq: none
Learn about next generation telescopes and what metal poor stars tells us about the Universe's origins.
The First Stars
Alexander Ji
The Universe hasn't always been filled with stars. Come learn how astronomers are trying to understand how the first stars were made, tackling this question from both theoretical and observational perspectives.
Modern Cyclopses - The Era of Giant Telescopes
Dr. Gabor Furesz
While astronomical observations have been carried out for thousands of years it is only the past four centuries when our naked eyes have been aided by telescopes. With today's 'giant eyes' we can peer really deep into the night sky, literally reaching the edge of the (observable) Universe. But to get there we have to build larger and larger, ever more sensitive, better telescopes and instruments. It has been really just the past few decades when progress was exponential, just like in other fields: thanks to computers, highly sensitive digital detectors and other modern design and manufacturing technologies. But progress in astronomical instrumentation is also influenced by commercialization, the consumer market, as well as history and politics - as these extremely large and complex scientific machines require collaboration and unique technology developments that point beyond a single nation, even the U.S. (read the full abstract here)
No enrollment limit for talk, no advance sign-up required.
See a complete listing of Kavli IAP activities.
Contact: Debbie Meinbresse, 37-241, 617 253-1456, MEINBRES@MIT.EDU