Back to all events
About
Registration
is required for this free, virtual event:
https://bit.ly/CosmologyTalk
Hamptons
Observatory and co-host Suffolk County Community College’s Science
Department, are pleased to present a free, virtual lecture by Dr.
Rutuparna Das from the Harvard & Smithsonian Center for
Astrophysics.
Our
universe is expanding. Not only is it getting bigger and bigger, it’s
accelerating. This mind-boggling revelation of the 90’s has opened
up a treasure trove of questions about our cosmos. What is causing
this acceleration? Will the universe always behave like this, or will
it someday start slowing down? And how do we find out?
This last question is
more complicated than it may seem at first glance. “Dark Energy”
is the name given to the cause of the universe’s acceleration. We
cannot see it, and we do not know much about what it is. To try to
comprehend its effect on our cosmos, we turn to Dark Matter, yet
another component of the universe that we cannot see. How do we
quantify this invisible matter, use it to understand this invisible
energy, and then use that to explore the fate of our universe?
Dr. Rutuparna Das is an
astrophysicist and science communicator who spends her time learning
about the universe and sharing its wonders with everyone around her.
After going to undergrad at MIT, she completed her PhD at the
University of Michigan, where she worked on weighing clusters of
galaxies and figuring out what the cosmos is made of. She’s now at
the Center for Astrophysics. Harvard & Smithsonian, spreading the
joys of space through NASA’s Universe of Learning, and continuing
her research into the composition of the universe. When she’s not
staring at the sky (both with her naked eyes and through data from
giant telescopes), she enjoys reading, crafting crazy desserts,
taking an inordinate number of nature photos, and writing (sometimes
silly) poetry about the cosmos.
Hamptons
Observatory extends its deepest thanks to Dr. Das for generously
taking the time to share her expertise and to co-host Suffolk County
Community College’s Science Department for its kind collaboration
While
this lecture is free, donations to support our programs are needed
and deeply appreciated regardless of the amount. To make a
tax-deductible donation to support our mission, please go to
https://bit.ly/HO-Zeffy.
Thanks!
Hamptons
Observatory (HO), a 501(c)(3) New York State nonprofit, has served
the community since 2005 and operates exclusively through public
support. It’s mission: to foster interest in science, particularly
astronomy, through quality educational programs. Lectures, star
parties, portable planetarium shows and other events are held
frequently and often in collaboration with other nonprofit
organizations. HO has an observatory in East Hampton that it is
endeavoring to restore and to make accessible (in-person and
remotely) to students, researchers, educators and the general public.
We offer our public programs free of charge so that everyone has the
opportunity to learn about and enjoy the wonders of the universe. For
further information about us or to join our mailing list, please
visit our website: https://HamptonsObservatory.org
pre { direction: ltr; color: #000000; text-align: left; orphans: 0; widows: 0; background: transparent }pre.western { font-family: “Liberation Mono”, serif; font-size: 10pt; so-language: en-US }pre.cjk { font-family: “Liberation Mono”; font-size: 10pt; so-language: zh-CN }pre.ctl { font-family: “Liberation Mono”; font-size: 10pt; so-language: hi-IN }p { margin-bottom: 0.08in; direction: ltr; color: #000000; text-align: left; orphans: 0; widows: 0; background: transparent }p.western { font-family: “Times New Roman”, serif; font-size: 12pt; so-language: en-US }p.cjk { font-family: “Droid Sans Fallback”; font-size: 12pt; so-language: zh-CN }p.ctl { font-family: “FreeSans”; font-size: 12pt; so-language: hi-IN }strong { font-weight: bold }a:link { color: #000080; so-language: zxx; text-decoration: underline }
