Tuesday, December 1, 2015

Nov 13 - The Dark Matter of Ghost Galaxies



Multiple galaxies are reported missing from around the Milky Way. The cops have no leads on where to find the missing satellite galaxies. The government is keeping tight lipped. Only one investigator, Jana Grcevich, has any clues to offer on where they have gone.

Dwarf galaxies hold the secrets, and dark matter is the prime suspect. Looking at the stars in these galaxies we can work out that there's less dark matter in their centers than we expect. After deep investigation (and at least one car chase) Jana believes that this can explain why we're not seeing these satellite galaxies, and what their absence can tell us about dark matter and our galaxy.

As well as this packed talk, witnesses enjoyed some hair raising on stage demonstrations of what happens when you crash the most massive galaxies in the universe together by Zephyr Penoyre. They we're able to explore the cosmos even deeper with Shy Genel leading them through a 3D exploration of the hearts of stars and the far edges of the galaxy.


And those who braved the cold and the clouds were rewarded with some stunning views of the Pleiades, Double Cluster, Capella and many others, as our brave team of student volunteers ducked and dove between the clouds, under the steady guiding hand of Steven Mohammed.

-- Zephyr Penoyre (graduate student) 

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