WHO: Richard Ellis, Steele Professor of Astronomy and director of Caltech Optical Observatories.
WHEN: Thursday, April 21, 3 p.m. (2:30 p.m., light refreshments)
WHERE: Science Auditorium, California State University Channel Islands, One University Drive, Camarillo. Complimentary parking in A3 and A4.
.
WHAT: “Gravitational Lensing: Einstein’s Unfinished Symphony,” a presentation by Richard Ellis, Steele Professor of Astronomy and director of Caltech Optical Observatories, who will focus on gravitational lensing—the bending and distortion of light rays by intervening matter—which is the central prediction of Einstein’s General Theory of Relativity. After remaining a dormant subject in astronomy for nearly 20 years, gravitational lensing is now one of the most active and prominent research areas yielding important results on the nature and distribution of dark matter and the properties of the mysterious dark energy that causes cosmic expansion to accelerate. The talk, which will be discussed in lay terms, is part of the World Year of Physics celebration and acknowledges the 100th year anniversary of Einstein’s work on the “Special Theory of Relativity.” The presentation is free and open to the public.
For more information, contact Geoff Dougherty, at (805) 437-8990, or geoff.dougherty@csuci.edu.
