Cosmic Explosions - Dr. Yvette Cendes
The biggest explosions in the universe dwarf any we are capable of on Earth. In space, we can witness an exploding star that can shine brighter than the rest of a galaxy as a supernova, or a black hole ripping apart a star that's visible from billions of light years away in what is called a Tidal Disruption Event (TDE). But how do we observe these cosmic explosions from Earth and learn about them? In this talk, I will discuss how humanity has witnessed the biggest explosions in the universe, from Chinese records thousands of years ago to my modern-day observations as a radio astronomer. This will include my research into supernovae such as the closest one observed to Earth- Supernova 1987A- and outflows of material from TDEs that "spaghettify" the star that wanders too close to the black hole. I will also discuss what would happen if a supernova occurred in our galaxy and its light reached us tonight, and what amateur astronomer can do to find the next galactic supernova.
Bio: Dr. Yvette Cendes is a postdoctoral fellow in astronomy at the Center for Astrophysics | Harvard & Smithsonian, where her research involves the study of radio transients. Originally from Pittsburgh, she obtained her Physics BSc and MSc in Physics from Case Western Reserve University, and her PhD in Astronomy from Leiden University in the Netherlands, during which she also spent extensive time at the University of Toronto, Canada. Yvette is also an avid science communicator, known by millions for her "astronomer here!" comments on Reddit as /u/Andromeda321, and has written for publications like Astronomy, Discover, and Scientific American.
RCA members who benefit from captioning during meetings suggest the following options for transcription services during online meetings.
For someone using a computer - Web Captioner
For someone using an android phone - Live Transcribe
For someone using an iPhone - Ava
The phone apps can be used while attending an online program on a computer by putting the phone near the computer's speaker. Or to see captions on the computer screen, open Web Captioner in a separate browser window, click "Start Captioning" then adjust the size of the browser windows so that the Web Captioner window sits below the Zoom meeting.
We are open to any further suggestions for both online and in person.