November 17, 2017 7-9PM

Event Type: Lecture and Stargazing
Title: Cosmic Lenses: Bending Light with Gravity
Lecturer: Denise Schmitz
Position: Graduate Student
Institution: Caltech
Abstract: One important consequence of Einstein's theory of relativity is that massive objects can bend light, an effect known as "gravitational lensing." Over the years, astronomers have learned to take advantage of this intriguing phenomenon to learn about everything from black holes to dark matter to galaxy clusters. In this lecture, I'll demystify the science behind gravitational lensing and take you on a tour of the amazing breakthroughs it has enabled.