Stars and Black Holes (Photo – NASA Goddard Space Flight Center)
Enjoy a free stargazing lecture followed by a Q&A panel and guided stargazing with telescopes (weather permitting).
By News Desk
Consider how the sky would look if you could see it in radio waves. Instead of stars, you would see a vista of strange behemoths, many of them appearing larger than the sun and the moon in our sky. These are cosmic fireworks left by powerful jets that originate from spinning black holes at the cores of galaxies.
In this talk, Martijn Oei will introduce Porphyrion, a record-breaking jet pair that their team at Caltech recently co-discovered using the Keck I Telescope on Hawaiʻi. Oei is a Postdoctoral Fellow in Caltech’s Department of Astronomy. Each jet spans a distance of about 100 times the size of our Milky Way. Even at a distance of ten billion light years, it appears to us as large as half the moon in our sky. Also discuss how jets form (and what this reveals about black hole dining habits), how jets journey into the depths of intergalactic space, and what violent effects jets have on galaxy evolution and cosmology.
The lecture will be from 8:00 – 8:45 pm, followed by a panel Q&A and guided stargazing until 9:45 pm. Stargazing is dependent on clear weather, but lecture and Q&A happen regardless. Event will occur in-person, with lecture and Q&A additionally live-streamed on YouTube.
About the Series
Stargazing Lectures are free lectures at a public level followed by a Q&A panel and guided stargazing with telescopes (weather permitting). All events are held at the Cahill Center for Astronomy and Astrophysics at Caltech and are free and open to all. No reservations are needed. Lectures are 30 minutes; stargazing and panel Q&A last 60 minutes. Stay only as long as you want.
Stargazing is only possible with clear skies, but the lecture and panel Q&A take place regardless of weather.
For directions, weather updates, and more information, visit this website.
Stargazing Lecture: Powerful Jets from Supermassive Black Holes February 14, 2025 8:00 pm - 10:00 pm Location Caltech Cahill, Hameetman Auditorium 1200 E California Blvd. Bldg 17 Pasadena, CA 91125
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