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Leading Astronomer Discusses Discovery of Expanding Universe
One of the world’s leading astronomers, Dr. Robert P. Kirshner, Clowes Professor of Science at Harvard University and an associate director of the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics, visited Westminster Nov. 15 and 16 to discuss his stunning discovery of the expansion of the universe.
Dr. Kirshner is best known for his work on supernovae, vast explosions of stars that occur about once per century in each galaxy. He has authored more than 200 research papers about supernovae, the large-scale distribution of galaxies, and the size and shape of the universe. He is also the author of the popular book, The Extravagant Universe, that tells the inside story of how a research team discovered that the expansion of the universe is accelerating under the influence of a dark energy that makes space itself expand.
Science magazine called Dr. Kirshner’s work on the acceleration of the universe the “Science Breakthrough of the Year for 1998.”
Dr. Kirshner, who teaches Harvard’s large undergraduate course “Matter in the Universe,” is a lively and amusing speaker who explains his work in an understandable and colorful way.
The evening before Dr. Kirshner’s formal address to students, he attended a reception for alumni, parents and faculty in Hinman Reading Room. He shared what he would be presenting to students the next day and answered questions about supernovae, the accelerating cosmos and his sabbatical year at the Institute for Theoretical Physics at UC Santa Barbara.
In an intellectually stimulating presentation to the entire campus community the next day in the Werner Centennial Center, Dr. Kirshner explained how today’s telescopes allow astronomers to look back into cosmic time billions of years ago. He shared how scientists measure changes in galaxies using light from very rare exploding supernovae. The light is so bright that it can be seen half way across the universe. He also talked about how dark energy is one of the biggest mysteries related to the universe, and how more advanced telescopes will allow astronomers to look back in time to find out what happened around the Big Bang.
“I don’t know for a fact that we have the full story,” said Dr. Kirshner. “I think people do want to know what kind of world we live in and what to expect. We do this kind of science for the joy of finding out how the world works.”
Following his more formal address, Dr. Kirshner met informally with students from AP Physics and AP Astronomy classes and talked more about cosmological research, the mysteries of dark matter and how he became interested in astronomy. He encouraged the students to consider careers that would help solve some of the mysteries of the universe.
“It is a very interesting time,” he said. “We’ve built a picture that seems to hold together, but it is not completely satisfactory. We don’t know what dark energy is. We do not have all the answers. There is a really interesting set of questions, and you might be the ones to help get the answers.”
Dr. Kirshner also joined a number of faculty for lunch in Hinman Reading Room, where he answered questions about obtaining research time on telescopes, space exploration and his responsibilities as Master of Quincy House at Harvard.
Dr. Kirshner graduated from Harvard College and received a Ph.D. in astronomy at Caltech. He is a member of the National Academy of Sciences and a frequent lecturer on science. He was featured prominently in the PBS Nova series Origins and has written for National Geographic, Natural History, Scientific American and Sky & Telescope.
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Dr. Kirshner is best known for his work on supernovae, vast explosions of stars that occur about once per century in each galaxy. He has authored more than 200 research papers about supernovae, the large-scale distribution of galaxies, and the size and shape of the universe. He is also the author of the popular book, The Extravagant Universe, that tells the inside story of how a research team discovered that the expansion of the universe is accelerating under the influence of a dark energy that makes space itself expand.
Science magazine called Dr. Kirshner’s work on the acceleration of the universe the “Science Breakthrough of the Year for 1998.”
Dr. Kirshner, who teaches Harvard’s large undergraduate course “Matter in the Universe,” is a lively and amusing speaker who explains his work in an understandable and colorful way.
The evening before Dr. Kirshner’s formal address to students, he attended a reception for alumni, parents and faculty in Hinman Reading Room. He shared what he would be presenting to students the next day and answered questions about supernovae, the accelerating cosmos and his sabbatical year at the Institute for Theoretical Physics at UC Santa Barbara.
In an intellectually stimulating presentation to the entire campus community the next day in the Werner Centennial Center, Dr. Kirshner explained how today’s telescopes allow astronomers to look back into cosmic time billions of years ago. He shared how scientists measure changes in galaxies using light from very rare exploding supernovae. The light is so bright that it can be seen half way across the universe. He also talked about how dark energy is one of the biggest mysteries related to the universe, and how more advanced telescopes will allow astronomers to look back in time to find out what happened around the Big Bang.
“I don’t know for a fact that we have the full story,” said Dr. Kirshner. “I think people do want to know what kind of world we live in and what to expect. We do this kind of science for the joy of finding out how the world works.”
Following his more formal address, Dr. Kirshner met informally with students from AP Physics and AP Astronomy classes and talked more about cosmological research, the mysteries of dark matter and how he became interested in astronomy. He encouraged the students to consider careers that would help solve some of the mysteries of the universe.
“It is a very interesting time,” he said. “We’ve built a picture that seems to hold together, but it is not completely satisfactory. We don’t know what dark energy is. We do not have all the answers. There is a really interesting set of questions, and you might be the ones to help get the answers.”
Dr. Kirshner also joined a number of faculty for lunch in Hinman Reading Room, where he answered questions about obtaining research time on telescopes, space exploration and his responsibilities as Master of Quincy House at Harvard.
Dr. Kirshner graduated from Harvard College and received a Ph.D. in astronomy at Caltech. He is a member of the National Academy of Sciences and a frequent lecturer on science. He was featured prominently in the PBS Nova series Origins and has written for National Geographic, Natural History, Scientific American and Sky & Telescope.
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