Astronomers have always wanted to examine anything that changes in the night sky: a change in position means something is moving and a change in brightness means something is unstable. In this week’s Ask an Expert Live, space history curator David DeVorkin will discuss the Big Throughput Camera on the Blanco 4-meter telescope in Chile and why it is so effective at detecting changes in the night sky. He will also discuss how it has participated in the discovery that the rate of expansion of our universe over time is increasing, which has led to speculation that a major component of the universe is something called “dark energy.” Tune in to Facebook Live.

Coming to the Museum? Join the talk in-person in the Explore the Universe gallery. 

Every Wednesday at 12:30 p.m. we will go live on the National Air and Space Museum Facebook page with an Ask an Expert talk. We’ll select a different aviation or space topic each week, and a Museum staff member will discuss the history, stories, or personalities related to a specific artifact or exhibition in the Museum. Tune in on Facebook Live each week to join the talk and ask our experts questions.