Friday, February 15, 2013
Room 201 (Hynes Convention Center)
Astronomical images elucidate our understanding of our solar system, our galaxy, and our universe,oftimes in unfathomable ways. They challenge our understanding of the laws of physics and reveal to us ourignorance of the most basic facts, such as “of what is the universe composed?”, or “how does our sun work”? They please us and they humble us with their beauty. They transform our culture, as they lead us to question our relationship to each other, to our planet, and to the universe at large. Collaborations of scientists and engineers create increasingly sophisticated equipment (in the form of spacecraft, robots, observatories, instrumentation and computers) that enable us peer into space, looking deeper, further, closer, and in more diverse ways than ever before. This talk will provide an overview of the world of astronomical imaging through examination of specific images, the equipment and the researchers behind them, that enabled seminal leaps in our scientific understanding of, and our cultural appreciation for, our place in the universe.