<html><head><style type='text/css'>p { margin: 0; }</style></head><body><div style='font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 12pt; color: #000000'><span style="font-family: tahoma,new york,times,serif;"><span style="white-space:pre"> </span><span style="white-space:pre"> </span><span style="white-space:pre"> </span><span style="white-space:pre"> A public lecture</span><span style="white-space:pre"> </span><span style="white-space:pre"> </span><span style="white-space:pre"> </span><span style="white-space:pre"> </span><span style="white-space:pre"> </span><span style="white-space:pre"> </span><span style="white-space:pre"> </span><span style="white-space:pre"> </span><span style="white-space:pre"> </span><br><br>Deatrick Foster, a PhD student at Vanderbilt University in the USA will give a free public lecture at SA Astronomical Observatory in Cape Town on Saturday, January 28 at 20h00. The title of his lecture is "Decoding the Distance Scales of Astronomy: The cosmic distance ladder" After the talk, there will be stargazing and tours of the site. </span><br style="font-family: tahoma,new york,times,serif;"><br style="font-family: tahoma,new york,times,serif;"><span style="font-family: tahoma,new york,times,serif;">Abstract:</span><br style="font-family: tahoma,new york,times,serif;"><span style="font-family: tahoma,new york,times,serif;">Astronomers use a variety of techniques to measure distances to the stars. These methods are areas of active research in astronomy with significant implications for our understanding of the Universe. No single technique can measure distance for all the different size scales encountered in astronomy. With few exceptions, distances based</span> <span style="font-family: tahoma,new york,times,serif;">on direct measurements can probe only a small fraction of our own Galaxy. For distances beyond that, getting reasonable distance estimates require us to make assumptions based on our best understanding of the underlying physical conditions involved. For example, we may recognise a particular distant object as a member of a class whose properties are consistent enough to use for accurate estimation of distances. This presentation is an overview of the methods used for determining the vast distances in astronomy.</span><br style="font-family: tahoma,new york,times,serif;"><br><div><span name="x"></span><span style="font-family: tahoma,new york,times,serif;">-- </span><br style="font-family: tahoma,new york,times,serif;"><span style="font-family: tahoma,new york,times,serif;">Regards</span><br style="font-family: tahoma,new york,times,serif;"><br style="font-family: tahoma,new york,times,serif;"><span style="font-family: tahoma,new york,times,serif;">Thembela Mantungwa</span><br style="font-family: tahoma,new york,times,serif;"><span style="font-family: tahoma,new york,times,serif;">S.A. Astronomical Observatory</span><br style="font-family: tahoma,new york,times,serif;"><span style="font-family: tahoma,new york,times,serif;">Tel: 021 460 9319</span><br style="font-family: tahoma,new york,times,serif;"><span style="font-family: tahoma,new york,times,serif;">Fax: 086 612 7502</span><span style="font-family: tahoma,new york,times,serif;"></span><br style="font-family: tahoma,new york,times,serif;"><span style="font-family: tahoma,new york,times,serif;">Email: tm@saao.ac.za</span><br style="font-family: tahoma,new york,times,serif;"><span style="font-family: tahoma,new york,times,serif;">Website: www.saao.ac.za / www.salt.ac.za</span><br style="font-family: tahoma,new york,times,serif;"><span style="font-family: tahoma,new york,times,serif;" name="x"></span><br style="font-family: tahoma,new york,times,serif;"></div><br></div></body></html>