Stargazing Lecture

Because this is an online event, the in-person stargazing that normally follows events in this series will not be possible.

Join the YouTube Livestream here: https://youtu.be/s4ZttiU2iL8

7:00–7:30 p.m. - Virtual Lecture
7:30–9:00 p.m. - Virtual Panel Q&A and Discussion

In 1967, Jocelyn Bell Burnell discovered a little "scruff" in her radio telescope data repeating at a regular interval. The short duration of pulses from this source eluded obvious explanation, hence they were playfully dubbed "little green men". Theoretical advances and the discovery of additional pulsing sources led to their identification as the dense, collapsed cores of stars left behind after a giant star explodes as a supernova, and they were renamed "pulsars". In the last fifty years pulsar astronomy has grown dramatically. New telescopes coupled with computational advances have revealed spectacular insights about how our universe works, additionally garnering two Nobel Prizes. Join me as I cover the major discoveries in pulsar astronomy, and what pulsars can teach us about our place in the universe.

About the Series

Stargazing Lectures are free lectures at a public level followed by a Q&A panel and guided stargazing with telescopes (weather permitting). All events are held at the Cahill Center for Astronomy and Astrophysics at Caltech. No reservations are needed. Lectures are 30 minutes; stargazing and panel Q&A last 90 minutes. Stay only as long as you want.

Stargazing is only possible with clear skies, but the lecture and panel Q&A takes place regardless of weather.

For directions, weather updates, and more information, please visit: http://outreach.astro.caltech.edu.