December 2, 2022 8-10PM

Event Type: Lecture and Stargazing
Title: The Invisible Atmospheres of Galaxies
Lecturer: Iryna Butsky
Position:Postdoctoral Fellow
Institution: Caltech
Abstract:
Galaxies are dynamic, evolving objects consisting of stars, gas, and dark matter, and are as diverse as the people on this planet. In order to understand why galaxies look the way they do and why some die (stop forming new stars) while others thrive, it is important to understand the environment in which they live. In this lecture, I will discuss how galactic atmospheres (referred to as the circumgalactic medium) are key to understanding galaxy evolution, and perhaps, our own existence in the Milky Way. I will highlight recent observations, taken with the Hubble Space Telescope, that challenge existing theoretical models and discuss possible solutions from recent research.