Monday, January 9, 2017
11:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m.
Auditorium 0215 (level 0 lecture hall between Ibn Al-Haytham and Ibn Sina [buildings 2 and 3])
Join Dr. Edward Stone, a renowned physicist, project scientist for the Voyager missions and the executive director of the TMT International Observatory, for a lively conversation on the Thirty Meter optical Telescope (TMT) project.
The universe is a time machine, and provided we collect and concentrate enough light from dim, distant objects, we can observe them as they were near the beginning of the universe over 13 billion years ago. The success of the twin Keck telescopes that have mirrors 10 meters across and adaptive optics to correct for blurring by the atmosphere has led to the design of the Thirty Meter Telescope (TMT). TMT’s unprecedented clarity will allow us to study the first luminous objects in the universe, explore the nature of dark energy and dark matter, observe stars orbiting the black hole at the center of the Milky Way galaxy, and study planets around nearby stars in a search for life beyond our solar system.
Seating is limited. Reserve your space at the WEP website:
https://enrichment.kaust.edu.sa/schedule/session/252/tmt-the-universe-in-high-definition/
Dr. Stone is the David Morrisroe professor of physics and vice provost for special projects at the California Institute of Technology (Caltech) and was the director of the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) from 1991 to 2001. Prior to these postitions, he served as the Voyager project scientist starting in 1972 and led the launch of the two Voyager spacecraft in 1977. Dr. Stone has coordinated the efforts of 11 teams of scientists in their investigations of Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune. He also became nationally known as the JPL public spokesman during the planetary flybys, explaining the Voyager’s scientific discoveries to the public.
Learn more about Dr. Stone’s achievements at http://www.caltech.edu/news/ed-stone-honored-43350.