BYU Professor to Address Astronomy Lecture Series

The College of Physical and Mathematical Sciences (CPMS) is pleased to announce that the Department of Physics and Astronomy will present a public lecture series to celebrate the International Year of Astronomy.

The sixth lecture, presented by Dr. Michael Joner, a professor of physics and astronomy at BYU, will be held on November 3rd at 7:30 p.m. in the Harold B. Lee Library auditorium. Joner’s lecture, entitled “Current and Future Astronomical Observations: Look How Far We’ve Come Since Galileo,” will be immediately followed by a question and answer session that will last until 9:00 p.m.

With over 25 years of experience at the telescope, Joner is one of academia’s premier research astronomers. The director of the West Mountain Observatory since its inception in 1981, he is currently the leader of BYU’s astronomy research group and has been an invited visiting astronomer at observatories around the world.

Joner’s lecture will “address the topic of current and future astronomical observations and discuss how much progress has been made in gathering data about the nature of the universe since the time of Galileo.” The presentation will focus on six areas of current research in which future observational advances may allow researchers to answer some of the universe’s most fundamental questions.

The telescopes on top of the Eyring Science Center will also be open for viewing, weather and twilight permitting. The public is welcome to attend immediately after the lecture until 10:00 p.m.

The final lecture of the series will occur on December 1st and will feature BYU assistant professor of geological sciences, Jani Radebaugh.

The auditorium is located on the first floor of the library in 1060 HBLL. The room is on the west side of the library, just to the left of the main stairs.

To learn more about the Department of Physics and Astronomy’s celebration of the International Year of Astronomy, click here.

--by Steve Pierce, College of Physical & Mathematical Sciences