THE ARTHUR H. COMPTON LECTURES
Fifty-fifth Series
By
Clem Pryke
Fellow, Center for Cosmological Physics
"Sketching the Biggest Picture ---
The Adventure of Experimental Cosmology"
The field of cosmology is one of the most
exciting in contemporary science.
The questions are of the grandest possible nature - how did
the universe come to be, and what is its ultimate fate?
And remarkably we live in an era when it has become a fully
fledged experimental science, rather than just the playground
of theorists.
Huge optical telescopes are pushing our vision back
towards the dawn of galaxies and stars.
But we are also making images of the sky in a whole range of
light that our eyes cannot see - from radio waves to X-rays.
In the microwave for instance we can see much further back still,
all the way back to the fireball which was the infant universe.
Small ripples in its surface, along with several other
lines of evidence, point to the fact that the everyday
material of which our solar system is made represents only
a few percent of the total mass of the universe.
This series will lay out the current state of our knowledge
with an emphasis on the experimental discoveries and
observations which are shaping our picture of the universe
in which we find ourselves.
No scientific background is required.
Just bring your curiosity and share in the excitement of modern cosmology.
Saturdays April 6, through June 15, 2002
(There will no lecture on May 11)
Lectures begin at 11:00 a.m. and end around
noon.
Kersten Physics Building - Room 106
5720 Ellis Avenue - Please use the Southwest
Entrance
All Lectures are Free of Charge
Persons with a disability
who believe they may need assistance
Please call Nanci Carrothers
in advance at (773) 702-7823