Astronomical Light: Unlocking the Secrets to Stars and Galaxies

For most of human history all that we knew about the universe was discovered by studying the light that has traveled from far away objects like stars and galaxies. In this two-part lecture, we’ll discuss the history of the observations that changed how we view the makeup of the Universe and what we can discover simply by studying light using different techniques and types of light.

Part one will focus on our understanding of stars, their differences, and how we discovered that many of them have planets orbiting them. Part two will expand to galaxies and other bright objects that give us insight into the future of the entire Universe.

Mary Oksala, PhD, is an assistant professor of Physics at California Lutheran University and an observational stellar astrophysicist, studying the most massive stars in the Milky Way and other nearby galaxies. Oksala received her Bachelors of Science degree in Physics from West Chester University of Pennsylvania and a PhD in Physics from the University of Delaware. She was a postdoctoral researcher for three years at the Astronomical Institute of the Academy of the Czech Republic, located in rural Prague, before receiving a 2-year postdoctoral fellowship at the Paris Observatory in France.

Registration required, courses are $40 each.

Fifty and Better was designed to offer university-level courses and lectures (no tests, no homework) taught by experts in the field, and to host social engagement activities for people aged 50 and older.

Register

Register by Sept. 2, by 2 p.m.