The Monster at the Heart of the Milky Way
7:00 PM - Meet the lecturer
7:30 PM - Lecture begins
Learn about new developments in the study of black holes. Through the capture and analysis of ten years of high-resolution imaging, Dr. Ghez and her team have moved the case for a supermassive black hole at the center of our galaxy from a possibility to a certainty. Additional spectroscopic data have revealed that the stars orbiting in close proximity of a black hole seem to be massive and young. The origin of these stars is a challenge to explain, but may provide key insight into the growth of the central black hole.
The museum will remain open to the public until 7:00 pm. Stargazing with telescopes will follow the lecture, weather permitting.
The John Bahcall Lecture is sponsored by the Space Telescope Science Institute and the Hubble Space Telescope Project/NASA Goddard Space Flight Center.
Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center
14390 Air and Space Museum Parkway Chantilly, VA 20151
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