[AstroNet] International Astronomers Talk at the MTN Sciencentre

[Jani De Bruin]

Square Kilometre Array South Africa (SKA SA) and the MTN Sciencentre
presents popular astronomy talks by international astronomers

BLACK HOLES MADE SIMPLE - Prof Malcolm Longair, Cambridge University
Monday 23 February @ 18:30 for 19:00
Venue:  MTN Sciencentre, Canal Walk Shopping Centre
No charge to attend, book your seat by calling 021 529 8100

Black holes are part of the furniture of modern astronomy. They represent
the ultimate state of collapse of matter and are the source of many of the
most energetic phenomena in the Universe. 
In this lecture, it will be shown how they arise quite naturally in the
course of the evolution of stars and galaxies. The most recent data will be
presented on black holes in our Galaxy and in active galaxies. These give
rise to some extraordinary phenomena, such as jets of relativistic matter
which are expelled into intergalactic space. The role of black holes in the
evolution of galaxies will be described.
The talk will be delivered at a non-technical level and will be profusely
illustrated with images from many different types of telescope, including
the Hubble Space Telescope, the radio Very Large Array, the Chandra and
XMM-Newton Telescopes. In addition, there will be interactive demonstrations
and illustrative movies.

Malcolm Longair has held many highly respected positions within the fields
of physics and astronomy. He was appointed the ninth Astronomer Royal of
Scotland in 1980, as well as the Regius Professor of Astronomy, University
of Edinburgh, and the director of the Royal Observatory, Edinburgh. He has
served on and chaired many international committees, boards and panels,
working with both NASA and the European Space Agency. He has received much
recognition for his work over the years, including a CBE in the millennium
honours list for his services to astronomy and cosmology. His main research
interests are in high energy astrophysics and astrophysical cosmology. Over
recent years, these have centred on the astrophysics of the most luminous
extragalactic radio sources. 
Most recently, he has become involved in studies of the origins of cosmic
magnetism and the capabilities of the SKA in advancing these studies. 
____________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________

HOW STARS AND PLANETS FORM - Debra Shepherd
Wednesday 11 March @ 18:30 for 19:00
Venue:  MTN Sciencentre, Canal Walk Shopping Centre
No charge to attend, book your seat by calling 021 529 8100

Have you ever wondered how stars form?  Why are there planets around our own
star, the Sun?  Do other stars have Earth-like planets, and if so, how many?
We don't know all the answers to these questions but we are beginning to
travel the road to discovery.
We will start our tour of cosmic nurseries inside dark, interstellar clouds
of gas and dust - the birthplace of stars and planets.  Dust obscures our
view in visible light but we can use radio telescopes to peer into the
depths of cloud cores.  Young stars are unstable, sending out spectacular
jets that eventually blast the cloud apart.  Surrounding these young stars
are disks of rotating material that may
form a planetary system.  More than 150 planets have been found around other
stars but none are like the Earth (although one gets close!).
Is it because Earth-like planets are very rare?  Or are our telescopes and
search techniques not powerful enough to see such small, rocky bodies yet?
Together we will explore these questions and see some of the most
breath-taking images of our Galaxy.

Debra Shepherd began her career as a research engineer in 1981 with a
Bachelors degree in physics.  She spent 10 years as an engineer working on
space-based sensors and training astronauts for Space Lab shuttle missions
while getting a Masters degree in astrophysics.  In 1991 she went back to
school and received a doctorate in Astronomy at the University of Wisconsin.
She then worked at the California Institute of Technology studying how stars
more massive than our sun formed and helped to run the Owens Valley
Millimeter Observatory.   From there she joined the scientific staff at the
National Radio Astronomy Observatory (NRAO).   She is now a tenured
astronomer at NRAO doing astronomical research on star and planet formation
and helping to test and commission software for the Atacama Large Millimeter
Array (ALMA) - a radio telescope array being built in Chile.
____________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
For more information or bookings call the MTN Sciencentre on 021 529 8100