Science Lecture Series
September 2021 Speaker
Dr. Neil Comins
What If the Moon Didn’t Exist
Thursday, October 14 at 7:00 pm
The Moon is a vibrant part of our lives and has been celebrated for centuries in art, literature and of course science. We find it easily at night and if we look hard enough, also during the day. Most people have learned that it contributes to our tides and that it has been the goal of spaceflights since the late 1950s. What would the Earth be like today if the Moon had never existed? Certainly, the tides would be different (yes, they would still be here) and we wouldn’t have the Moon’s light to help illuminate the night. But those are only the tip of the metaphorical iceberg. Indeed, the changes to Earth and life without a Moon are “breathtaking.” Join Dr. Neil F Comins as he takes us on a virtual trip to the Moon to explore it and its importance to humanity.
Dr. Neil F Comins is professor of physics and astronomy at the University of Maine, Orono. He teaches classes ranging from introductory astronomy to general relativity. He is the author of 21 astronomy trade and textbooks. His book What if the Moon didn’t exist? has been the basis of planetarium, radio, TV, and theater shows around the world. It was the theme of Mitsubishi’s pavilion at the 2005 World Expo. His research in general relativity was cited in Subrahmanyan Chandrasekhar’s 1983 Nobel Prize lecture. For the past 17 years he has been a cartoon character in Japan.
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The Science Lecture Series at Versant Power Astronomy Center will take place on the second Thursday of each month and is a partnership project with the Maine Science Festival and will feature research from a variety of science disciplines from around our state and use the digital planetarium to visualize these discoveries in a new dramatic and immersive way.
Tickets for planetarium programs are $7 for Adults, $6 for UMaine Students/Veterans/Senior Citizens, and $5 for children under 12. Click here to view our calendar.
Tickets are available online at http://astro.umaine.edu, by calling 581-1341, or at the box office.
Previous Speaker
Dr. Paul A. Mayewski
Pushing Climate Change Research to the Roof of the World
Thursday, September 9 at 7:00 pm
In April/May 2019 the National Geographic and Rolex Perpetual Planet Everest Expedition undertook the most comprehensive scientific expedition conducted on Mt. Everest. The international team led by Dr. Mayewski set significant scientific records including the highest automatic weather stations and the highest ice core on Earth. The expedition resulted in many new findings that reveal key information about the highest reaches of our planet. He will discuss some of the findings, their significance on climate research, and what it is like to work on Mt. Everest.
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Photo credit Dirk Collins National Geographic |
Dr. Paul Andrew Mayewski is an internationally acclaimed glaciologist, climate scientist, polar explorer and director of the Climate Change Institute and Distinguished at the University of Maine. He was born in Scotland where he was introduced to hiking very early in life. Paul has led more than 60 expeditions to the remotest reaches of the planet and has received numerous prestigious awards for his contributions to science including the discovery of abrupt climate change driven by atmospheric circulation, human impacts on climate change and ecosystems, and for exploration into uncharted regions of Antarctica, and numerous first ascents of mountains all to gain scientific knowledge. Paul is the first person to develop and lead prominent multi-disciplinary climate research programs at the three poles (Arctic, Antarctica, and the Himalayas/Tibetan Plateau). He has over 500 scientific publications, written two popular books “The Ice Chronicles” and “Journey Into Climate”, and has appeared hundreds of times in media such as: the New York and LA Times, NOVA, NPR, BBC, CBS 60 Minutes and the Emmy Award Winning “Years of Living Dangerously”.
Previous Speakers
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October 2016 |
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November 2016 |
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December 2016 |
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February 2017 |
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April 2017 |
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May 2017 |
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September 2017 |
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December 2017 |
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February 2018 |
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March 2018 |
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April 2018 |
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October 2018 |
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November 2018 |
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December 2018 |
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January 2019 |
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February 2019 |
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April 2019 |
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September 2019 |
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November 2019 |
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March 2020 |
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September 2021 |
