The layperson's guide to the galaxy
The Milky Way, show above Paranal Observatory. Image by Yuri Beletsky
To understand the formation and evolution of far-away galaxies, scientists use some of the largest and most expensive equipment on the planet to look back in time.
Dr Amanda Bauer, a Super Science Fellow at the Australian Astronomical Observatory, will this week explain the lives of galaxies and the billion-dollar equipment needed to study them when she delivers the Monash Centre for Astrophysics (MoCA) Public Lecture, A Long Time Ago in Galaxies Far, Far Away.
Dr Bauer studies how galaxies first formed - 13.2 billion years ago in the case of the Milky Way - and how they have changed over time. She uses powerful telescopes, both earth-based and orbiting in space, to inform her research.
The free talks, hosted regularly by MoCA, feature top astrophysics researchers who explain the mysteries of space to interested members of the public. Audience members are encouraged to ask questions following the talks.
Dr David Floyd of MoCA said Dr Bauer's work was internationally renowned and her presentations were entertaining.
“Amanda's working in a fascinating field. She studies how nature gives rise to these beautiful structures called galaxies, and how they evolve over cosmic time to give us the home we live in today,” Dr Floyd said.
“The study of galaxies is necessarily linked to the technology that enables it - such huge facilities as the Square Kilometer Array, James Webb Space Telescope, Extremely Large Telescopes, and the Gaia satellite mission. So, Amanda's presentation will explain, in accessible terms, the science of galaxies and of her research instruments.”
Dr Bauer completed her PhD at the University of Texas and has previously worked at the University of Nottingham. She maintains the blog Astropixie.
Dr Amanda Bauer will deliver A Long Time Ago in Galaxies Far, Far Away at 6.30pm, Thursday 13 September, 2011, Lecture Theatre S3, Monash University Clayton campus. No registration is necessary.