Hubble Ultra Deep Field - NASA

The Hubble Space Telescope has made it possible to look back to a time when the universe looked very different than it does today.

Steven Beckwith, currently the Vice President for Research and Graduate Studies for the University of California’s ten campuses and former Director of the Space Telescope Science Institute (which runs the Hubble), will give a somewhat non-technical, illustrated talk on The Dawn of Creation: The First Two Billion Years.

Billions of years ago galaxies looked much different than they do today. The Milky Way and other galaxies took shape slowly, building up from many pieces in the debris of the initial Big Bang explosion.

Topics like galaxy shapes, the expanding universe, gravity – is it the same now as it was billions of years ago, dark matter, and dark energy should get you tingly all over. No? Then Baryon Acoustic Oscillations may do the trick.

Note: The Ultra Deep Field contains an estimated 10,000 galaxies.

Seating is on a first-come, first-served basis. Arrive early to locate parking.
Parking lots 1, 7 and 8 provide stair and no-stair access to the Smithwick theatre.

Smithwick Theater, Foothill College
12345 El Monte Road, Los Altos Hills

Wednesday, March 4
7:00 pm

Admission: Free
Parking: $2.00

This Wednesday, January 21, astronomer Anthony Colaprete of NASA’s Ames Research Center will give a non-technical, illustrated talk on Prospecting for Water on the Moon: The Upcoming LCROSS Mission.

Sometime this year NASA will purposely crash two spacecraft into a permanently shadowed crater in one of the Moon’s polar regions. Yes, purposely.

The Lunar Crater Observation and Sensing Satellite (LCROSS) mission is to determine the presence or absence of water (ice and vapor), hydrocarbons and hydrated materials. The LCROSS mission is going to do this by directly impacting one of the permanently-shadowed regions near the moon’s pole and creating a crater, throwing debris and potentially water ice and vapor above the lunar surface.

The two main components of the LCROSS mission are the Shepherding Spacecraft and the Centaur upper stage rocket. The Centaur rocket will impact the moon causing a cloud of lunar debris. The Shepherding Spacecraft, which has scientific instruments on-board including cameras, will take pictures of the Centaur’s descent and impact into the moon. Four minutes later, the Shepherding Spacecraft follows almost the exact same path as the rocket, descending down through the big plume and analyzing it with special instruments. The Shepherding Spacecraft will then crash into the moon. This impact may be seen using an amateur telescope.

Seating is on a first-come, first-served basis. Arrive early to locate parking.
Parking lots 1, 7 and 8 provide stair and no-stair access to the Smithwick Theater.

Smithwick Theater, Foothill College
12345 El Monte Road, Los Altos Hills

Wednesday, January 21
7:00 pm

Admission: Free
Parking: $2.00

650-949-7888