MIT Center for Space Research
Education and Public Outreach Program

The MIT Center for Space Research will host a series of six lectures on the Chandra X-ray Observatory and its discoveries. The lectures are open to the general public and will be held during the Summer in the Marlar Lounge, McNair Building, at 70 Vassar Street in Cambridge, MA.

All lectures are free and begin at 7:30 pm: no tickets are required and seating is available on a first-come, first-served basis.

SCHEDULE

June 26, 2002: Dr. Herman Marshall, "Quasar Jets as Fountains from Monstrous Black Holes"

July 10, 2002: Dr. David Huenemoerder, "Of the Glamorous Lives of Cool Stars"

July 31, 2002: Dr. Julia Lee, "The Colors of X-rays"

August 7, 2002: Dr. Bryan Gaensler, "Of Dead Stars and Cosmic Lighthouses"

August 21, 2002: Dr. Frederick Baganoff, "The Mystery at the Center of Our Galaxy"

September 4, 2002: Dr. Deepto Chakrabarty, "Recent Results from the Chandra X-ray Observatory"

Directions to the McNair Building (MIT Building 37):
The McNair Building, MIT Building 37, is located at 70 Vassar Street midway between Main St. and Massachusetts Ave between the Kendall Square and Central Square areas of Cambridge. The Marlar Lounge is on the second floor.

• Subway: Take the Red Line to the Kendall/MIT station or to the Central Square station, both of which are a short walk from Vassar Street. From Kendall/MIT, walk west on Main St. (away from the Charles River) and turn left onto Vassar Street. From Central, walk south on Massachusetts Ave (towards the Charles River) and turn left onto Vassar Street.
• Bus: The Number 1 bus stops at MIT on Massachusetts Avenue and provides transportation to Central Square and Harvard Square. The MIT stop is at a large crosswalk; proceed north (away from the Charles River) and turn right on Vassar Street.
• Car: Be aware that parking off street is limited. There are a number of lots at which you may park for a fee. These include a lot at the corner of Massachusetts Avenue and Vassar Street, Park and Lock on Third Street, Kinney Systems at 4 Cambridge Center (entrances on Ames St. and on Broadway), and Kinney Systems at Ten Cambridge Center (entrances on Broadway and on Binney St).

For additional information, write to Irene Porro.

Abstracts

Quasar Jets as Fountains from Monstrous Black Holes, June 26: Dr. Marshall will illustrate the latest Chandra results that bring new insights about the interaction between the high energy jets and supermassive black holes found at the center of some galaxies.The Chandra image to the right reveals the X-ray jet blasting out of the nucleus of M87, a giant elliptical galaxy. In the top of the image, the bright galactic nucleus harboring a supermassive black hole shines. Shown below is the radio and optical images of the same jet.

Of the Glamorous Lives of Cool Stars, July 10: Dr. Huenemoerder conducts research using the Chandra X-ray Observatory gratings (shown to the left during assembly) to get the X-ray spectra of cool stars. He will describe what X-ray spectra are, and what they tell us about the unique features of our Sun and other stars.

The Colors of X-rays, July 31: Dr. Lee will talk about the use of the technique called spectroscopy to assess the physical parameters of astrophysical systems. In particular, she will show how the spectra obtained with the Chandra high energy gratings are used to study black holes. To the right is an artist's depiction of a black hole.

Of Dead Stars and Cosmic Lighthouses, August 7: Dr. Gaensler studies the dramatic explosions that characterize the deaths of very massive stars, called supernovae, and the objects that are left behind. To the left, the remnants of a supernova explosion, called the Crab Nebula, as seen in X-ray (left) and visible (right) light.

The Mystery at the Center of Our Galaxy, August 21: Dr. Baganoff will present what we learned from Chandra observations of the galactic center, and the reasons why astronomers believe supermas-sive black holes exist at the centers of galaxies. The image to the right shows the central region of our Milky Way Galaxy as seen by Chandra. The bright, point-like source at the center of the image was produced by a huge X-ray flare that occurred in the vicinity of the supermassive black hole at the center of our galaxy.

Recent Results from the Chandra Observatory, September 4: Dr. Chakrabarty will describe the Chandra X-ray Observatory and some of its recent exciting discoveries. In particular, he will discuss new insights about the properties of neutron stars. The image to the left is the X-ray image of the Cassiopeia A supernova remnant, the official first light image of Chandra. The bright object near the center may be the long sought neutron star or black hole that remained after the explosion that produced the supernova remnant.

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