KEYNOTES

Common Astronomy Myths Debunked

Have you ever wondered what causes Earth’s seasons? Is it the planet’s distance from the Sun? Does the Moon have a side that’s always dark? Are black holes cosmic vacuum cleaners, devouring everything nearby? This engaging presentation explores these questions and more, separating science fact from fiction. Discover the real reasons behind seasonal changes, the truth about the Moon’s "dark side," and the fascinating nature of black holes. Join us for a thought-provoking journey through space, where myths are debunked, and mysteries explained. 

A Trip Through Memory Lane with the Hubble Space Telescope

The Hubble Space Telescope was launched in April of 1990. Since then, millions of observations have been taken by the telescope pushing the frontiers of science. This talk will trace the development of "Hubble Science" over its decades of service to astronomers and to the Earth's community as a whole. Dr. Sarajedini will cover the major discoveries from Hubble related to planets, stars, galaxies, black holes, dark matter, and dark energy concluding with a glimpse of the future of the Hubble Space Telescope.

An Expanding Universe, Dark Matter, and Dark Energy – What does it all mean?

Our universe is expanding rapidly and accelerating in its expansion. Most of it is unseen stuff making up about 95% of the universe. How can we “see” the unseeable? How do we know it’s there? We will take a fascinating journey into the most mysterious parts of our universe trying to understand how old it is, where it’s been starting from the Big Bang and where it’s going in the future. Along the way, we will encounter exotic objects like black holes, quasars, and neutron stars.

A Human Mission to Mars

This presentation will provide fascinating insights and some food for thought at a time in history when travelling to Mars is more likely than ever. Of all the planets in the Solar System, Mars is the best candidate to be our home away from home. It is similar to Earth in many ways and, although its surface is inhospitable to human life, we have the technology to travel to Mars and establish a base on its surface in a climate-controlled habitat. This talk will explore the reasons why we would want to travel to Mars and the details of the trip itself. We will explore topics such as: How would we would grow food and produce water in our climate-controlled habitat? What about returning to Earth? Would that be possible or would we be resigned to spending the rest of our lives on the red planet? If it was free to go there, would you volunteer to be one of the first earthling settlers of Mars?