Large Optical Telescopes Topic of Astronomy Lecture May 9
The public is invited to attend an astronomy lecture at UPEI on Monday, May 9 by Dr. Davis Philips on "Large Optical Telescopes." The talk will outline his experiences in the early 80s as the first American observer to use the Soviet Union's six-metre reflector in the Caucasus. He will detail the history of large telescopes, those currently being built, and some of what is planned for the future. It takes place in the Lecture Hall of KC Irving Building, UPEI, beginning at 8:00 pm.
Dr. Philips is a professor in the Physics department at Union College, Schenectady, New York, and the president of the Institute for Space Observations and the Davis Press. His presentation is part of the prestigious Shapley lecture series, named after Harlow Shapley who discovered the dimensions of our galaxy and the location of its centre. Dr. Philips' visit to UPEI on May 9 and 10 will also include technical lectures for faculty and students.
The May 9 public lecture builds on the Canadian Association of Physicists (CAP) series lecture given earlier this year at UPEI. Dr. Cliff Burgess spoke on the topic, "What is the Universe Made Of? The Case for Dark Matter and Dark Energy" to a standing-room-only crowd. Dr. Burgess is an associate member of the Perimeter Institute of Theoretical Physics in Waterloo, and a visiting professor in the Physics and Astronomy department at McMaster University.
The UPEI Physics department and the Charlottetown chapter of the Royal Astronomical Society also run a volunteer public outreach series. Since the summer of 2004, there have been opportunities to view the Sun, Moon and Saturn through the UPEI telescope. Heather Hughes, the astronomy lecturer at UPEI, says that the last of these, "Saturn on Saturday" has proved the most popular. More than 200 people attended over the three nights. "It is an ideal opportunity to involve the community, in particular children, in the wonder of the universe. We hope that everybody goes home with a sense of amazement and that it leads to a desire to find out more," Hughes says.
Two of the volunteers for astronomy events are physics students, Evan O'Connor and Jason MacWilliams, who are going through the Physics co-op program which was launched at UPEI in 2003. Their interest in astronomy has led them into work placements with the Herzberg Institute of Astrophysics, part of the National Research Council, in both Victoria and Penticton, British Columbia.
For further information on Dr. Philips lecture, please contact the UPEI Physics Department at 566-0491.
