As we turned our collective gaze recently to the super moon, it’s a good time to continue to contemplate the night sky generally.
Northern Kentucky University’s Six@Six Community Lecture Series can help you with that. The lecture’s topic will be black holes, those distant regions in space where gravity is so strong that not even light can escape.
Professor Dirk Grupe, Ph.D., chairman of NKU’s Department of Physics, Geology and Engineering Technology will deliver the lecture, “Black Holes: Smaller But No Less Mighty,” at 6 p.m. on Oct. 11.
In his research, Dr. Grupe uses images and signals from deep space to see what he can learn. In a stunning development, he and his international collaborators recently discovered that one of the universe’s most massive black holes, located nearly 5.1 billion light years away, is the size of 100 million solar masses instead of the previously believed 10 billion.
But smaller doesn’t mean less impressive. It just means black holes pack their punch in more compact configurations. What does that mean to our understanding of the universe? What new mysteries might his discovery unlock?
The talk will be given at a place well-known for exploring the heavens: The Cincinnati Observatory. Dedicated 1843 in a ceremony presided over by former president John Quincy Adams, the Observatory become known as the “birthplace of American astronomy.”
“This year, our community lecture series is visiting venues related to the topic being discussed,” said Mark Neikirk, executive director of NKU’s Scripps Howard Center for Civic Engagement.
“The Observatory’s long history of celebrating the celestial makes it an especially fun place to take this installment of the lecture series. The iconic Observatory and its telescopes are a reminder of humanity’s longstanding determination to understand the heavens. Dr. Grupe’s research follows in that tradition.”
Go early and tour the Observatory and stay after the lecture concludes to stargaze if it is a clear night. Doors open at 5 p.m. The lecture is free and open to the public. It’s family friendly, so bring the kids.
Six@Six is a community lecture series designed to showcase research by NKU’s faculty and students.
If you cannot attend in person, there’s a virtual option to watch the lecture live online. RSVP to attend in-person and virtually at the Six@Six website. You can also see the full 2023-2024 season at that site.
“Black Holes: Smaller But No Less Mighty,” a public lecture and part of NKU’s Six@Six Community Lecture Series will be held 6-7:30 p.m. on Oct. 11; doors open at 5 p.m. for tours of the Observatory.
The Cincinnati Observatory, 3489 Observatory Place, Cincinnati.
It’s free and so is parking).
Questions? Email the Scripps Howard Center for Civic Engagement at engage@nku.edu.
NKU Scripps Howard Center for Civic Engagement