Science Lecture Series

Dr. Scott Randall

Black Holes, Exploding Stars, and Clusters of Galaxies:
20 Years of NASA’s Chandra X-ray Observatory

Thursday, October 10 at 7:00 pm

Launched in 1999, Chandra is one of NASA’s four “Great Observatories”, a series of satellites designed to study the sky over a broad range in wavelengths, from infrared to gamma rays. 20 years later, Chandra is still providing the sharpest look ever at the X-ray universe. Chandra’s unprecedented observing capabilities have allowed scientific breakthroughs and important contributions on everything from supermassive black holes, to exploding stars, to the environments of alien worlds, and to the largest bound objects in the universe, clusters of galaxies. In this talk we will discuss some of Chandra’s most notable research highlights from the past two decades, and take a tour of some of the many breathtaking astronomical images it has provided.

Scott Randall received his PhD in astronomy from the University of Virginia in 2005. He then did a postdoc at the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics in Cambridge, MA, before moving to the Chandra Mission Planning Science Operations Team at the same institution in 2007. Scott’s research interests include X-ray and high-energy astrophysics, AGN feedback, galaxy clusters, large scale structure and cosmology, and dark matter. He currently splits his time between helping to operate NASA’s Chandra X-ray Observatory, doing research students and collaborators from around the world.

Tickets for planetarium programs are $6 for Adults, $5 for UMaine Students/Veterans/Senior Citizens, and $4 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.

Future Speakers

October 10, 2019
Dr. Scott Randall
Black Holes, Exploding Stars, and Clusters of Galaxies:
20 Years of NASA’s Chandra X-ray Observatory

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Previous Speakers

September 2016 Dr. Elizabeth McGrath A Walk Among Giants: Building the Largest Galaxies in the Universe	View Event Flyer	View Lecture Slides
October 2016 Dr. Caitlin Howell Unlocking the Secrets of Proteins: The Rise of Cryo Electron Microscopy	View Event Flyer	View Lecture Slides
November 2016 Chuck Carter Art and Science: Visualizing Complex Ideas for Everyone	View Event Flyer	View Lecture Slides
December 2016 Dr. Paul Mayewski Journey Into Climate	View Event Flyer	View Lecture Slides (Google Drive link)
February 2017 Dr. Dean Astumian How molecular motors work – insights from the machinist’s toolbox	View Event Flyer	View Lecture Slides
March 2017 Dr. Ali Abedi Wireless Leak Detection for International Space Station	View Event Flyer	View Lecture Slides
April 2017 Dr. Henning Haack Meteorites and the Origin of the Solar System	View Event Flyer
May 2017 Dr. Karissa Tilbury From Lightsabers to Tricorders: Harnessing Light for Biomedical Applications	View Event Flyer	View Lecture Slides
September 2017 Dr. Michaela Reagan Potential Cancer Cures Leveraging 3D Tissue Engineering and Bone Marrow Models	View Event Flyer	View Lecture Slides
December 2017 Dr. Dale Kocevski The Big Bang and the Origin of Our Universe	View Event Flyer	View Lecture Slides
February 2018 Dr. Nicole Rausch The Science of Wellness: Why Your Doctor Continues to Insist You Sleep, Exercise, and Be Well	View Event Flyer	View Lecture Slides
March 2018 Dr. Bill Davids Hypersonic Inflatable Aerodynamic Decelerator and Rusty Old Bridges	View Event Flyer	View Lecture Slides
April 2018 Dr. Jennifer Page Aquatic chemical signaling: How understanding signals in the sea helps us address interdisciplinary challenges	View Event Flyer	View Lecture Slides
October 2018 Dr. Justin Lap A Bright Energy Future: Powering Industry with Solar Heat	View Event Flyer	View Lecture Slides
November 2018 Dr. James W. Jarvis Vaccines: Heroes or Villains (hint: it’s the first one)	View Event Flyer	View Lecture Slides
December 2018 Dr. Kristy Townsend Remodeling in Our Brain and Nervous System: Connections to Obesity and Diabetes	View Event Flyer	View Lecture Slides
January 2019 Danny Piper Solar for ME! The solar industry in Maine and beyond	View Event Flyer	View Lecture Slides
February 2019 Dr. Lauren Ross Harnessing the power of the ocean currents	View Event Flyer	View Lecture Slides
March 2019 Dr. Alex Friess Engineering in Sports	View Event Flyer	View Lecture Slides
April 18, 2019 Dr. Grant Tremblay Light from the Void: NASA’s Once & Future Great Observatories	View Event Flyer
September 12, 2019 Dr. Sam Hess Super-Resolution Microscopy: Illuminating Biological Functions to Cure Disease	View Event Flyer	View Lecture Slides

The Science Lecture Series at Emera 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.

Planetarium and Astronomy Center