Speaker Series: Astrophysics, Speaker: Meredith Hughes, Wesleyan University
*The event has already taken place on this date: Sat, 09/14/2024
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Speaker: Meredith Hughes, Wesleyan University
Saturday, September 14
5:00 pm – 5:45 pm
Planet Formation through Radio Eyes
How do planets form around other stars? Major breakthroughs in understanding planet formation over the past decade have come from light that we can’t see with our eyes: radio waves, which can escape the dusty cocoons where planets are born. In this presentation, you’ll learn about how radio telescopes take pictures of invisible light from space, and how we can use those images to understand where, when, how, and what kinds of planets form around nearby stars.
Meredith Hughes has been an astronomy professor at Wesleyan since 2013. Before arriving at Wesleyan, she earned a BA in physics and astronomy from Yale University and a PhD in astronomy from Harvard University, and was a Miller Postdoctoral Fellow at UC Berkeley. Her research involves studying planet formation by observing the disks of gas and dust around nearby stars with radio interferometers.
Tickets & Important Information
Time: Second Saturday of every month, 5:00 pm
Duration: Approximately 30 minutes
Cost: $6 for members, $7 for non-members (per person). General museum admission will not be charged for members or guests arriving after 4:30 pm on Speaker Series days.
Location: Alden Planetarium
Age Range: Guests of all ages and backgrounds are welcome!
*Times, dates, and prices of any activity posted to our calendars are subject to change. Please be sure to click through directly to the organization’s website to verify.