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Caltech

Stargazing Lecture

Friday, October 15, 2021
7:00pm to 9:00pm
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Online Event
Tiny but Powerful: Hunting for Extreme White Dwarfs
Ilaria Caiazzo, Sherman Fairchild Postdoctoral Scholar Research Associate in Theoretical Astrophysics, Caltech,
  • Public Event

Because this is an online event, the in-person stargazing that normally follows events in this series will not be possible.


Join the YouTube Livestream here: https://youtu.be/w8bZ7fBSmrA

7:00–7:30 p.m. - Virtual Lecture
7:30–9:00 p.m. - Virtual Panel Q&A and Discussion

White dwarfs possess a mass comparable to that of our Sun packed in the size of a planet, or even smaller, a moon! These incredibly dense and small blue objects are the most common remnants of stars (the Sun will become a white dwarf in the distant future), but they still hide secrets and mysteries. I will discuss how a small telescope at the Palomar observatory, ZTF, is allowing us to discover white dwarfs with extreme properties, like huge magnetic fields and rapid rotation speeds. These discoveries are leading to new insights into the lives of white dwarfs as well as how our galaxy itself has evolved over billions of years.

About the Series

Stargazing Lectures are free lectures at a public level followed by a Q&A panel and 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 and panel Q&A last 90 minutes. Stay only as long as you want.

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

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

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