First Light is Coming: Astronomy on Tap
Aysu Ece Saricaoglu — The Universe Beyond Light: In Search of Dark Matter
Almost everything we know about the universe comes from light. We use light from stars and galaxies to measure distances, motion, temperature, and composition. Yet one of the most surprising discoveries in modern cosmology is that the visible universe does not tell the whole story. There is something mysterious out there—something that does not interact with light: dark matter. Although dark matter is invisible, it leaves gravitational footprints across the universe. In this talk, I will explain how gravitational lensing allows us to trace these footprints and introduce one of the dark matter candidates to which they may lead us.
Jacqueline Vazquez — Hunting for Planets Around Dead Stars
Outside of the Solar System lie billions of planetary systems waiting to be discovered. The launch of the Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope at the end of August marks the beginning of a new era of astrophysics. With its massive field of view (~100x larger than Hubble’s!) and unprecedented speed, Roman will help scientists uncover thousands of new planets and will act as a key stepping stone for future missions like the Habitable Worlds Observatory. In this talk, I will go over how we detect distant planets, what makes Roman so well-suited for exoplanetary science, and how it will be able to probe planets around dead stars.
Join Astronomy on Tap for an evening of science, beer, and cosmic discovery! Explore the mysteries of dark matter and the search for planets around dead stars in two fascinating talks inspired by the upcoming science of NASA's Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope. The event is open to the public and free, so bring friends, grab a beer, and enjoy an evening of fun space science!