U of T Annual AstroTour Keynote: The Hidden Lives of Galaxies
Speaker: Laura Ferrarese
When peering into the cosmos, astronomers can only gather instantaneous snapshots of celestial objects whose evolution — with rare exceptions — unfolds on timescales far too long to be probed within a human lifetime. To complicate things further, what our instruments can actually “see” adds up to less than 5% of the matter/energy content of the Universe. Take galaxies, for instance: with their evolution controlled by black holes and dark matter, neither of which our instruments can probe directly, there is much more than meets the eye! This lecture will focus on how galaxies are transformed throughout cosmic times, how they interact with each other and with the environment in which they live, and how the 5% we can see can tell us about the 95% we cannot see.
About the Speaker
Dr. Ferrarese is an internationally recognised leader in galaxy dynamics and scaling relations, supermassive black holes, active galactic nuclei, and the extragalactic distance scale. Her seminal work on the relationship between the masses of supermassive black holes and the stellar velocity dispersions of the bulges in their host galaxies has led to the realization that black holes play a very important role in the evolution of galaxies. Dr. Ferrarese works for the National Research Council of Canada, Herzberg Astronomy and Astrophysics Program, in Victoria, BC.
Schedule of Events
6:30 – 7:30pm Solar observing. Terrace outside JJR Macleod Auditorium
6:30 – 7:30pm Planetarium shows (6:30pm, 6:45pm, 7:00pm and 7:15pm). Lobby of JJR Macleod Auditorium
6:30 – 7:45pm Astronomy exhibits and activity stations. Lobby of JJR Macleod Auditorium
8:00 – 9:30pm Laura Ferrarese lecture and question period. JJR Macleod Auditorium
9:30 – 11:00pm Chat With an Astronomer reception. Reception hall opposite of JJR Macleod Auditorium
9:30 – 11:00pm Astronomy exhibits and display stations. Reception hall opposite of JJR Macleod Auditorium
9:30 – 11:00pm Night sky telescope observing. Roof of Burton Tower, McLennan Building, 60 St. George Street
9:30 – 10:45pm Planetarium shows (9:45pm, 10:00pm, 10:15pm, and 10:30pm). Lobby of JJR Macleod Auditorium and elevator lobby of Burton Tower, McLennan Building
The AstroTour Keynote is an annual event that brings in astronomers that are both world-renowned researchers and amazing public speakers from around North America to give talks in Toronto. The event also features solar and night-sky observing through the Astronomy Department’s many telescopes, planetarium shows run live by astronomer, an Ask-an-Astronomer reception, and more!
The AstroTour Keynote is part of the AstroTour lecture series hosted by the graduate students of the U of T Astronomy Department, and is generously funded by the Department of Astronomy & Astrophysics, the Canadian Institute for Theoretical Astrophysics, and the Dunlap Institute for Astrophysics. This year’s Keynote is a part of the IAU International Year of Light celebrations.
Who can attend: Everyone
Fee: Free
Reservations: Only required for Planetarium Shows (available on July 12th)
Organized by: Graduate Astronomy Students Association, Department of Astronomy & Astrophysics, Dunlap Institute for Astronomy & Astrophysics, Canadian Institute for Theoretical Astrophysics
Locations: JJR Macleod Auditorium, Medical Sciences Building, 1 King's College Circle
McLennan Building, 60 St. George Street
http://www.astro.utoronto.ca/astrotours/?page_id=1314
Image Credit: Robert Hurt, NASA/JPL-Caltech