2011
Our 23rd Season on the Mountain
May 7: Tiny Moons Around Small Asteroids
Asteroid multiplicity is an astronomical prize for observers and theorists, constraining theories on the origin of the solar system.
Dr. Franck Marchis is a senior planetary astronomer at the Carl Sagan Center of the SETI Institute. He has dedicated his work to the study of our solar system, specifically the search for asteroids with moons, using mainly ground-based telescopes equipped with adaptive optics (AO).
Franck Marchis
Jun 4: The Milky Way as a Dark Matter Laboratory
Over the next decade, a combination of astronomical observations and particle physics experiments hold great promise to finally shed light on the nature of dark matter, the dominant contributor to the matter content of the universe.
Dr. Michael Kuhlen, UC Berkeley Theoretical Astrophysics Center
Michael Kuhlen
Jul 9: Nature’s Biggest Lenses
Gravitational lensing allows us to study dark matter, find exoplanets, and see the first objects in the universe.
Dr. Anja von der Linden, Stanford University
Anja von der Linden
Aug 6: Kepler's Vision: Exoplanets and Songs of the Stars
Since mid-2009, NASA’s Kepler space telescope has been constantly watching about 160,000 stars with the ultimate goal of finding Earth-sized planets in Earth-like orbits around Sun-like stars.
Dr. Steve Bryson, NASA Ames Research Center
Steve Bryson
Sep 3: Extreme Astronomy: Eyeing the Cosmos through a Cubic Kilometer of Ice
Why physicists are fishing for elusive cosmic neutrinos using Ice Cube, the world’s largest telescope located on the harshest continent on the planet.
Dr. Kirill Filimonov, UC Berkeley
Kirill Filimonov
South Pole
Oct 1: Milky Way Galaxies Across the Universe
The universe contains many vast galaxies containing stars, gas, and dust. What do we know about the formation and evolution of galaxies most like our own Milky Way?
Dr. Anne Metevier, UC Santa Cruz/Sonoma State University
Anne Metevier
Nov 5: The Milky Way as a Dark Matter Laboratory
SPECIAL POST-SEASON PROGRAM
part of Bay Area Science Festival, in collaboration with Wonderfest
includes a "nekkid-eye Nightscape" tour following the program
Over the next decade, a combination of astronomical observations and particle physics experiments hold great promise to finally shed light on the nature of dark matter, the dominant contributor to the matter content of the universe.
Dr. Michael Kuhlen, UC Berkeley Theoretical Astrophysics Center
Michael Kuhlen