UofT AstroTour: How to Fly a Telescope

We’ve all heard about ground-based telescopes and space telescopes, but what about telescopes that are flown on balloons? What do they do? How do they work? Why do we use them? In this lecture, Rachel Domagalski will talk about the history of balloon astronomy, as well as some of the science that’s come from balloon telescopes. She will also talk about the development of two very different balloon telescopes, SPIDER and SuperBIT, that’s taking place right here in Toronto.

About the Speaker
Rachel is a second-year PhD student working in the Balloon Astrophysics Group. Her main project is with the SPIDER telescope, though she did have some minor involvement with the SuperBIT telescope as well. When not busy building telescopes, Rachel enjoys hiking and roller skating along the Waterfront trail and sometimes lap swimming.

The U of T Astronomy Public Tour, or AstroTour, is a monthly event operated by the graduate students of the U of T Astronomy Department. The Tour features a public lecture by a member of the Department on topics ranging from their research to great moments in astronomical history. Following the lecture, tour-goers can peer at the night sky through the Department’s balcony and dome telescopes, or watch a planetarium show run live by astronomer. Admission to the tour is free. Seating for the lecture is on a first-come, first-served basis (doors open ten minutes before the start of the lecture), and the telescope observing is walk-in.

Who can attend: Everyone
Fee: Free
Reservations: Only required for Planetarium Shows
Organized by: Graduate Astronomy Students Association. The AstroTours are generously financed by the Department of Astronomy & Astrophysics and the Dunlap Institute for Astronomy & Astrophysics.
Location: University of Toronto, McLennan Physical Laboratories (MP 103), 60 St George St., Toronto, ON  M5S 1A7

http://www.astro.utoronto.ca/astrotours/?page_id=392
https://www.facebook.com/events/140510179880412/