The University of Missouri-Columbia Department of Physics & Astronomy, in conjunction with the Central Missouri Astronomical Association , presents:

Interested in the big questions about the cosmos?

"Cosmic Conversations" is a lecture series hosted by the Department of Physics & Astronomy in conjunction with the Laws Observatory and the Central Missouri Astronomical Association. Scheduled at 7 pm the first Wednesday of each month in room 120 of the Physics building, the topic of each talk relates to the cosmos; why we see the Moon the way we do, how to take night-time photos, how meteors relate to global extinctions, how did early Native Americans see the sky and a host of other topics in which the heavens play a role.

The Laws Observatory will be open following each presentation for viewing of the night-time sky (weather permitting). In addition, the Stankowski Field lights will be switched off to improve the view!.

This year is the International Year of Astronomy:
   

SCHEDULE 2009

DATE

NASA IYA2009 Topic

NASA IYA2009 Object

Speaker

Title

February 4th

Our Solar System

The Moon

Angela Speck
(Physics & Astronomy)

The rabbit in the moon and other lunar myths

March 4th

Observing at night

Saturn

David Arrant
(Physics & Astronomy)

Saturn: Lord of the Rings

April 1st

Galaxies and the Distant Universe

The Whirlpool Galaxy

Rita Reed
(School of Jounralism)

Night-time Photography

May 6th

Our sun

The Sun

ShunLin Liang

The Sun, Our Star

June 3rd

Clusters of Stars

The Hercules Cluster

B. Menzi Mchunu
(Physics & Astronomy)

What do we learn from star clusters?

July 1st

Black Holes

Our Galaxy: the Milky Way

Dan Caputo
(Physics & Astronomy)

Spaghettification, and other ways the universe is trying to kill you.

August 5th

Rocks & Ice in the Solar System

Perseids

Josh Tartar
(Physics & Astronomy)

Dust, Dirt and Debris in the Solar System

September 2nd

Planets & Moons

Jupiter

Signe Cohen
(Religious Studies)

The Infinite Order: Religion and Astronomy in Ancient India.

October 7th

What is the Fate of the Universe?

Andromeda

Bahram Mashhoon
(Physics & Astronomy)

The fate of the universe

November 4th

The Lives of Stars

The Crab Nebula

Suklima Guha Niyogi
(Physics & Astronomy)

The Lives of Stars

December 2nd

Discovering New Worlds

The Orion Nebula

Melanie Koehler

The Orion Nebula

Past talks

Craig Kluever

A Personal History of NASA Projects

Adrian Corman

Lives & Deaths of Stars

Ken MacLeod

It Came from Outer Space: Recent controversies regarding the K/T boundary

Larry Brown

Cosmic Reflections on the Cultural Landscape

David Arrant

Saturn: Lord of the Rings

Angela Speck

Nuclear processes in the cosmos

Alan Whittington

Mars!

Rainer Glaser

Prebiotic synthesis of biological molecules in interstellar space

Mark Volkmann

Is the moon made of cheese? Misconceptions in Astronomy

Angela Speck

Everything You Ever Wanted to Know about the Moon, But Were Afraid to Ask

Todd vanPool

Man and Woman Circle the Hearth: Archaeoastronomy in the American Southwest

Val Germann

Telescopes: How they work and what you can see with them

email
speckan@missouri.edu

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