July 28, 2023 8-10PM

Event Type: Lecture and Stargazing
Title: How to Catch a Supernova (or One of its Transient Friends)
Lecturer: Ashish Mahabal
Position: Research Scientist
Institution: Caltech
Abstract:
Astronomical technology has now advanced to recording the entire night sky every few days, allowing us to effectively generate movies of how our sky changes with time. These data reveal in real time the dynamic nature of our night sky including supernovae, star-ripping blackholes, flaring stars, asteroids, comets, and more. Every night, our telescope, the Zwicky Transient Facility (ZTF), detects a hundred thousand astronomical objects that are brightening or fading overhead. News of these detections are sent out to other scientists as well as the public for scientific follow up. Using these alerts, we have created an Android app called ZARTH, to allow anyone to "catch" these objects, learn more about them, and enter a friendly competition with others in creating the best transient collection by interacting with real astronomical data as it is observed. We will describe the science of these astronomical objects, the app, and how to play it. Embark on this stellar journey with us and experience the thrill of hunting for the universe's most dynamic events.