RASC Hamilton: Those Pesky Neutrinos

In the late 1990s, A Canadian research team played an important role in proving something we all should know about neutrinos: they are almost — but not quite — massless. When scientists first realized that nuclear reactions must be the power source for the Sun and stars, it seemed there would be no way to observe those reactions directly. Wolfgang Pauli invented the neutrino in 1930 to help explain radioactivity, and neutrinos were first measured in the 1950s. They pass right through the layers of the Sun to empty space, but that also means they are notoriously difficult to detect. The Sudbury Neutrino Observatory was built specifically to check them out. It turns out that they morph from one kind to another as they travel through empty space.

Our speaker, Peter Jedicke, is a retired teacher in London, Ontario, who studied physics and philosophy at Western University, has written many articles and even books about astronomy and science, and served as RASC President in 2004-2006. Peter visited the Sudbury Neutrino Observatory in 2001.

We encourage you to join us for this informative and fun-filled evening.

Who can attend: Everyone
Fee: Free
Reservations: Not required
Organized by: RASC - Hamilton Centre
Location: Royal Canadian Legion – Branch 551, 79 Hamilton St. N., Waterdown, ON L0R 2H0

http://www.hamiltonrasc.ca/april-5-monthly-meeting-those-pesky-neutrinos/