Frans Pretorius

April 10, 2018

7:30 PM, Peyton Hall

The April meeting will be held on the 10th at 7:30PM in Peyton Hall, in the auditorium (Room 145), on the Princeton University campus.

Featured Speaker: The talk is by Princeton University Professor Frans Pretorius regarding the “LIGO and the Extreme Side of Gravity”

The LIGO gravitational wave detectors have ushered in a new era of gravitational wave astronomy. Several signals consistent with the collision of two black holes have been observed, and one that we can infer was the collision of two neutron stars. These signals come from the most extreme regions of strong gravity we know of, and are providing the first direct evidence that black holes, as described by Einstein’s theory of general relativity, actually exist. In this talk Dr Pretrious will explain the basics of compact object collisions and gravitational waves, and how we are able to interpret the LIGO signals as originating from these cataclysmic events.

Member Talk: We will have our second 10 minute member talk by Jim Peck on “Describing the Sun’s apparent motion across the sky to the general public”.

We are looking for more members to give an informal 10 minute talk on an astronomy related topic at a future meeting. If you’re interested in giving one please see me at the meeting or contact me at program@princetonastronomy.org.

2018-2019 Speakers: We are planning to start identifying the primary speakers for the 2018-2019 season during the week of April 16. If you have suggestions for topics now’s the time to submit them. If you have a specific speaker and topic in mind please include the organization’s contact information if available. Please send all ideas to program@princetonastronomy.org.

Pre-Meeting Dinner: Prior to the meeting there will be a meet-the-speaker dinner at 6PM at Winberie’s in Palmer Square. If you’re interested in attending please contact program@princetonastronomy.org no later than Noon on April 10.

We look forward to seeing you at the dinner or at the meeting!