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Caltech

Stargazing Lecture

Friday, May 10, 2019
8:00pm to 10:00pm
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Cahill, Hameetman Auditorium
A Star is Born
Mike Grudic, PhD Candidate, Department of Theoretical Astrophysics (TAPIR), Caltech,
  • Public Event

Stars are the building blocks of galaxies and home to the planets. We must understand how stars form to explain many other aspects of the Universe, yet many mysteries remain about this complex process. Starting from the Big Bang, I will walk us through the chain of events that we know had to happen to produce a star like our Sun in a galaxy like the Milky Way. Then, I will talk about the main things we don't know: why do the stars form in the quantity that they do? Why is the typical mass of a newborn star the same everywhere we have looked? And why is star formation so slow? I will show how observations and theory are working together to answer these fundamental questions about how a star is born.

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)

For more information, please contact Cameron Hummels by email at [email protected].