Mon 13 May
|Queen's House
Supernovae, Sky Surveys and the Vera Rubin Observatory
by Professor Stephen Smartt Supernovae mark the final explosion and death of either massive stars or white dwarfs in binary systems. DETAILS ON HOW TO BOOK FOR THIS EVENT ARE EMAILED TO MEMBERS IN THE WEEKLY NEWSLETTER
Time & Location
13 May 2024, 19:15 – 21:00
Queen's House, Romney Rd, London SE10 9NF, UK
About the Event
Supernovae mark the final explosion and death of either massive stars or white dwarfs in binary systems. They happen about once every hundred years in a typical galaxy and we are probably overdue a supernova in the Milky Way. These explosions can outshine a whole galaxy, produce neutron stars and black holes and are the source many of the chemical elements in the Periodic Table. They are found in both the nearby and distance Universe by telescopes on the Earth and in space. For the first time in history we can survey the whole sky every 24hrs, finding anything that moves or flashes. Professor Stephen Smartt will review some of the latest work on supernova research and how the new Rubin Observatory will revolutionise the field.
Biography
Stephen J. Smartt CBE FRS is an astrophysicist from Northern Ireland who specialises in stellar evolution, supernovae and time domain sky surveys. He…