mountain profile Institute for Astronomy University of Hawaii

Open House Family Lectures and Movies

The schedule and talks are subject to change. Details about each talk are being posted as they become available.

 

IfA Auditorium (C-214)

11:30 Jim Harwood: Discovering Mauna Kea
We all now know that Mauna Kea is one of the best locations in the world for astronomical telescopes, but its atmospheric qualities were far from obvious in the early 1960s. Jim Harwood was one of the original University of Hawai‘i pioneers who braved the cold, dark, windy, barren heights of the mountain to study the weather, the clarity, and the brightness of the sky to establish that excellent astronomy could be done there.

 

12:15 Karen Meech: The Red Planet . . . Mission to Mars!

The allure of Mars for the possibility of life has intrigued the public imagination ever since we could see details on the surface in telescopic views. Come share in the exploration of Mars. We will look at some of the most interesting Mars discoveries from past and current missions, and Dr. Meech will present some exciting images and science currently coming from the Mars Science Laboratory’s Curiosity rover.

 

1:00 Henry Hsieh: A Year of Comets
In 2013, stargazers around the world have already been treated to the sight of Comet PANSTARRS, discovered here by a team of University of Hawaii astronomers, and are looking forward to perhaps an even more spectacular sight in Comet ISON later this year. Dr. Hsieh will describe how Comet PANSTARRS was discovered, discuss the importance to astronomers of these events and of studying comets in general, and talk about ongoing efforts to discover even more of these often dazzling objects.

 

1:45 Ken Chambers: The Pan-STARRS Surveys: Mapping the Sky from the Top of the Atmosphere to the Edge of the Universe
The Pan-STARRS surveys are discovering exciting things in our solar system, in our galaxy, and across the Universe. Dr. Chambers will describe how the Pan-STARRS 1 telescope on Haleakalā surveys the sky; its latest discoveries, including hazardous asteroids, neighboring galaxies, new kinds of exploding stars, star-gobbling black holes; and how a census of the contents of the Universe provides a "fossil record" of our origins from the Big Bang to today.

 

2:30 Roberto Méndez: Beyond Earth: Strategies for Long-term Human Survival
Our planet Earth is not a safe place; sooner or later our descendants will have to (1) perish, or (2) move elsewhere. How can we make long-term human survival more likely?

 

3:15 Mike Liu: Exoplanet Cornucopia
We have now identified over 1,000 planetary systems besides our own, spawning a golden age of understanding of worlds around other stars as well as our own place in the cosmos. In this talk, Dr. Liu will share some of the amazing discoveries being made and what they tell us about our cosmic origins.

 

Fern Room (C-221)

11:30 JD Armstrong: The Faulkes Telescope and You
The Faulkes Telescope North is the world's largest telescope that was built primarily for education and outreach. Dr. Armstrong will be discussing some of the incredible work that students from Hawai‘i have doing with this opportunity.

 

12:15 Jabran Zahid: Dark Matter in Galaxies
The existence of dark matter was first suggested to explain the dynamics of galaxies. Mr. Zahid will discuss the historical development of dark matter and alternative interpretations of the data that do not require the presence of dark matter.

 

1:00 Bob Joseph: The Star of Bethlehem
The Star of Bethlehem in the Christmas story told in Matthew’s Gospel has fascinated people for two millennia. In this illustrated lecture, Dr. Joseph will describe some of the historical interpretations of the Star of Bethlehem and describe a new interpretation that finally makes astronomical, astrological, historical, and textual sense of the events recorded in Matthew’s Gospel.

 

1:45 Jonathan Williams: Fun Facts about the Universe
 Join Dr. Williams for a quick tour of the solar system and beyond, and learn some amazing things about planets, stars, galaxies, and even our own Earth.

 

2:30 Veronica Bindi: AMS-02 in Space to Discover the Secrets of the Universe
 The Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer AMS-02 is a state of the art of particle physics detector. It was installed on the International Space Station in May 2011 to study cosmic rays, dark matter, and antimatter for the next ten years. So far it has collected more than 18 billion particles from our Universe with unprecedented precision.

 

3:15 Shadia Habbal: The Total Solar Eclipse of 2017: Book your summer vacation now!
Total solar eclipses are one of nature's most awe-inspiring events. Occurring once every 1-2 years, and lasting only a few minutes, they offer unique opportunities for exploring the ionized gas of the outer solar atmosphere and its impact on Earth's magnetized environment. The total solar eclipse of August 21, 2017 will traverse the U.S. continent starting in Oregon and ending in South Carolina. A significant fraction of the U.S. population can witness it, and a large number of scientists are already planning to observe it. So start making your 2017 summer vacation plans now.

 

Watch videos of 2009 and 2010 Open House lectures.

 

Moon Room (B-228) Movies

11AM–Noon Mauna Kea: On the Verge of Other Worlds (1989)
A documentary that takes viewers to the summit of Mauna Kea, Hawaii's highest mountain, for a look at its astronomical observatory. Produced by KHET (now PBS Hawaii) and narrated by Johnny Carson.

12:10–12:45 Mauna Kea Star Trails: Videography by IfA Graduate Students (Jason Chu)

12:45–1:15 The Telescopes of Mauna Kea - Ph.Detours Ep. 2
Jorge and Alex of PhD Comics travel to the highest peak in Hawaii for a look at how astronomers figure out the molecular composition of far away stars and planets. Featuring IfA astronomers Alain Khayat & Timm Riesen

1:15–1:45 Our Peculiar Motion Away from the Local Void by IfA Astronomer Brent Tully

1:45–2:45 Mauna Kea Videos
A Sacred Summit, Visiting Mauna Kea, Mauna Kea Astronomy, Living Mountain (http://www.youtube.com/user/MaunaKeaVIS)

2:45–3:45 What's Up in the Universe? produced by IfA astronomer Brent Tully (2007)
This film looks at the human need to explore and ponders whether there is life elsewhere in the universe.