July 10, 2020 7-9PM

Event Type: Lecture and Stargazing
Title: Scanning the Sky for Invisible Explosions using Night Vision Goggles
Lecturer: Kishalay De
Position: PhD Candidate
Institution: Caltech
Abstract:
Since the beginning of civilization, humans have observed and recorded changes in the sky using light visible to the human eye. Today, after decades of investigation using small to large optical telescopes, astronomers have created exquisite catalogs of stars that change in brightness and of "new stars" that mark the sites of supernovae explosions. Yet, it is well known that a substantial fraction of stars in our own Galaxy, as well in the distant universe, are obscured by interstellar dust floating in space. In this talk, we will learn why so many stars in the universe are hidden from human eyes, and how infrared observations allow us to see through the intervening dust. I will talk about recent technological developments (similar to night vision goggles) that are finally allowing us to scan the skies at infrared wavelengths and reveal the dynamic and explosive hidden universe.