Join CCAS for a special astronomy talk with Dr. Louise Edwards of Cal Poly as she explores how astronomers study distant galaxies and galaxy clusters using the powerful new Vera C. Rubin Observatory.
The Vera C. Rubin Observatory in Chile is designed to repeatedly scan the night sky, creating an enormous “movie” of the universe over time. Its images and data will help astronomers study galaxies, dark matter, dark energy, exploding stars, asteroids, and other changing objects in the sky.
Dr. Edwards will share how this groundbreaking observatory is opening a new window into the universe, especially for understanding some of the largest galaxies and galaxy clusters. This talk is perfect for anyone curious about astronomy, galaxies, and the future of sky surveys.
Thursday, January 15th at 7pm
at 1515 Fredericks, San Luis Obispo
Dr. Louise Edwards is a professor of physics at California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo, where she teaches astronomy and physics and mentors the next generation of scientists. Her research focuses on galaxy formation and evolution, especially the brightest galaxies in galaxy clusters, their neighboring galaxies, intracluster light, and the large-scale structure of the universe.
Before joining Cal Poly in 2016, Dr. Edwards was a lecturer in the Yale Astronomy Department, an assistant professor at Mount Allison University, and a postdoctoral researcher at Caltech/IPAC and Trent University. She is also recognized as one of the first Black Canadians to earn a PhD in astronomy and was featured on a Canadian postage stamp in 2002.
Vera C. Rubin Observatory
This stunning video from the NSF–DOE Vera C. Rubin Observatory begins with a close-up of two galaxies, then zooms outward to reveal nearly 10 million galaxies across the distant universe.
It was created from more than 1,100 images captured by Rubin Observatory. Even more incredible: those 10 million galaxies represent only about 0.05% of the roughly 20 billion galaxies the observatory is expected to capture during its 10-year Legacy Survey of Space and Time.
This gives a glimpse of the enormous “cosmic treasure chest” Rubin will open for astronomers as it repeatedly scans the sky, helping scientists study galaxies, dark matter, dark energy, supernovae, asteroids, and the changing universe.
Video credit: NSF–DOE Vera C. Rubin Observatory