Stargazing Lecture

Last year LIGO announced the first direct detection of gravitational waves. This was a ground-breaking discovery, made possible by decades of effort by hundreds of scientists. The signal LIGO detected came from the merger of two black holes, each of them 30 times more massive than the Sun. These objects were unexpectedly massive and not predicted by theory. In this talk I will explain how such black holes could form and how future detections will improve our understanding of the most massive stars, from the Big Bang to the present. 

About the Series

Stargazing Lectures are free lectures at a public level followed by guided stargazing with telescopes (weather permitting). All events are held at the Cahill Center for Astronomy and Astrophysics at Caltech. No reservations are needed. Lectures are 30 minutes; stargazing lasts 90 minutes. Stay only as long as you want.

Stargazing is only possible with clear skies, but the lecture, slideshow, and Q&A takes place regardless of weather.

For directions, weather updates, and more information, please visit: http://outreach.astro.caltech.edu.

Download the series flyer (PDF)