NEFAF 2012: Promoting University Research

New England Fall Astronomy Festival

explore starry wonders both day and night

September 21 – 22, 2012

UNH Observatory | Durham, NH

physics.unh.edu/observatory/NEFAF

Explore the latest advancements in space science with the New England Fall Astronomy Festival, an annual event held at the University of New Hampshire Observatory. Presented by the UNH Physics Department and the New Hampshire Astronomical Society, the festival highlights many astronomy-related research projects conducted by the university.

Featured projects include the Interstellar Boundary Explorer (IBEX). After its launch in 2008, IBEX began investigating—and has since changed our understanding of—the far reaches of our solar system. This satellite, funded by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, comprised UNH-designed sensors that helped remap the boundary between our solar system and the rest of our galaxy.

Also learn about the Cosmic Ray Telescope for the Effects of Radiation (CRaTER), which studies space radiation aboard NASA’s Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter; and Project SMART, a program that allows high school students to launch a high-altitude scientific balloon.

Other participants include meteorite guru Bob Veilleux; meteorologists from Plymouth State University who will launch weather balloons; Dr. Harlan Spence, director of the UNH Institute for Earth, Oceans, and Space; and an array of telescopes.

Find out more about UNH space science research at NEFAF, which promises a fun-filled weekend of discovery!

Free admission, but donations much appreciated

Beginning at 6 p.m. Friday, beginning at 10 a.m. Saturday

Just In: Alex Filippenko to Give Keynote Address at NEFAF 2012

Dr. Alex Filippenko, professor of astronomy at the University of California, Berkeley, will give the keynote address at the New England Fall Astronomy Festival 2012. The talk is scheduled for Friday, September 21, at 7:30 p.m.

The talk, entitled “Dark Energy and the Runaway Universe,” will cover the expansion of the universe and the intriguing discoveries to which Dr. Filippenko has contributed. The abstract is below.

Dr. Filippenko’s research interests include supernovae and black holes, and he appears frequently on television programs such as the History Channel’s series, The Universe. He was elected to the National Academy of Sciences in 2009 and is the current Richard and Rhoda Goldman Distinguished Professor in the Physical Sciences at UC Berkeley.

The abstract from Dr. Filippenko’s talk:

We expected that the attractive force of gravity would slow down the rate at which the universe is expanding. But observations of very distant exploding stars show that the expansion rate is actually speeding up, a discovery that was honored with the 2011 Nobel Prize in Physics. Over the largest distances, the universe seems to be dominated by a repulsive “dark energy”—an idea Albert Einstein had suggested in 1917 but renounced in 1929 as his “biggest blunder.” It stretches the fabric of space itself faster and faster with time, creating a “runaway universe.” But the physical origin and nature of dark energy, which makes up about three quarters of the contents of the universe, is probably the most important unsolved problem in all of physics.

Dr. Alex Filippenko

NEFAF 2012: A Weekend of Discovery

New England Fall Astronomy Festival

explore starry wonders both day and night

September 21 – 22, 2012

UNH Observatory | Durham, NH

physics.unh.edu/observatory/NEFAF

Celebrate the September sky with the New England Fall Astronomy Festival, an annual event held at the University of New Hampshire Observatory. Presented by the UNH Physics Department and the New Hampshire Astronomical Society, the festival brings together astronomers of all ages for a fun-filled weekend of discovery.

Learn from astronomy experts, attend a telescope clinic, safely observe the sun, and explore the night sky through dozens of telescopes. Practice stargazing and astrophotography or find out the latest space science research conducted at UNH. Children can participate in talks specifically geared toward them; games like golfing on the moon; and hands-on activities like the launching of a weather balloon or the crafting of solar beads.

Speakers and participants include meteorite guru Bob Veilleux; high school and university students; educators from the McAuliffe-Shepard Discovery Center; and Dr. Harlan Spence, director of the UNH Institute for Earth, Oceans, and Space.

Participate in a raffle for a chance to win a telescope and partake of the on-site concessions throughout the day.

Do not miss this great opportunity to spend a beautiful fall day and night at the UNH Observatory. NEFAF promises an immersive, space-related experience for anyone fascinated by the wonders of the universe.

Please check the website for event schedule.

Free admission, but donations much appreciated

Beginning at 6 p.m. Friday, beginning at 10 a.m. Saturday

Curiosity's First Image

NASA’s latest Mars rover, named Curiosity, landed on the Red Planet on Aug. 6. After eight months of travel, Curiosity finally made a precision landing in Gale Crater. The goal of the Mars Science Laboratory mission is to discover whether or not Mars has ever been able to support life.

Curiosity’s first image of Mars